


Pierre's Row

by ColoradoPeculiar



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Alternate Universe - No Powers, Author! Ladybug, Bad Parent Gabriel Agreste, Chef! Chat Noir, Cooking Lessons, Crimes & Criminals, Detective! Adrien, Emails, Eventual reveal, Fashion Designer! Marinette, Marichat | Adrien Agreste as Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng, Multi, Mystery, Original Alternate Universe, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Reporter! Hawkmoth, Reverse Crush (Miraculous Ladybug), Robbery, Slow Burn, Waitress! Marinette, long fic, tw: Mentions of Suicide, tw: murder
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-13
Updated: 2021-02-15
Packaged: 2021-03-07 16:54:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 22
Words: 56,636
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26980966
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ColoradoPeculiar/pseuds/ColoradoPeculiar
Summary: Everything in Marinette's life seemed to be going great. She had a steady job working with her best friend, her fashion commissions were increasingly gaining popularity, and she's Paris' #1 author! Adrien Agreste thought things were going well, all things considered. He just moved into a new office and while cases were a bit slow at the moment, being the celebrity chef vlogger Chat Noir kept him busy. But life turns on its head for these two when a masked reporter going by the name Hawk Moth starts to share stories that nearly destroys Ladybug and Chat Noir's reputation. To make matters worse, the cafe Marinette works at gets broken into. Ladybug and Chat Noir band together in an unlikely partnership to try and find out who Hawk Moth is, while their alter-egos band together to solve the case of the robbery. Will they find out the truth? (Cross posted from Wattpad)
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir & Plagg, Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Alya Césaire & Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Alya Césaire/Nino Lahiffe, Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug & Tikki, Plagg/Tikki (Miraculous Ladybug)
Comments: 4
Kudos: 28





	1. Chapter 1

Lila Rossi was a simple person. If you were on her good side then you got whatever you wanted. If not, she wouldn't hesitate to make your life a living hell. This is exactly what she planned to do to the person who had humiliated her on national t.v.

' _Maybe I'll be okay_ ' She thought to herself, logging onto her blog. However, after reading through her comments for a few minutes, her hopes were dashed.

'She's trash', 'So glad LB warned me about her lack of talent', and 'Oh my gosh, I'm dying! This story is hilariously terrible!' were some of the kindest comments Lila saw. A _ding!_ Alerted her of a new comment. Desperate for approval, she anxiously scrolled up. 'She's a total Ladybug wannabe!' Was the friendly message that greeted her. She growled in frustration.

"Ladybug, it's all her fault. She's the one who ruined me. Well, that's fine, I'll just simply return the favor. She will rue the day she first heard of Lila Rossi!" Lila yelled in the privacy of her apartment.

' _Calm down Rossi, remember what your therapist told you. Breathe in, breathe out.'_ After a few moments, Lila's cool demeanor was back. ' _Get it together, you have connections, you can easily destroy Ladybug.'_ Lila felt a smirk spread across her face as her phone beeped.

'Interview with Chris.' She read. Even though he was young, he had already become a prominent criminal in Paris. Very few had ever met him, but Lila had bailed him out of juvie multiple times and in return he would grant her a single interview.

Lila knew that he would have multiple solutions to get rid of Ladybug. Pulling her light brown hair into a ponytail and grabbing a tape recorder she left her apartment, her vile hopes soaring.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lila has her interview with Chris.

As soon as Chris saw Lila, he knew he was in trouble. Her eyes had a malicious gleam to them. They had agreed to meet in a small, windowless room that nobody would give a time of day about unless they were an underground character and then they would back off the moment they saw Chris. Clearing his throat he stepped forward to greet Lila.

"Hey Lila, I wondered how you would be holding up after the intervi-."

"Shut it, Chris." She snapped, cutting him off. "I'll get my revenge and my reputation back while destroying hers in the process, but I'll need your help." Chris leaned back against the alley wall and crossed his arms.

"What's in it for me?" He asked the blogger. Lila smiled sweetly at Chris.

"Let's talk inside, shall we?" She opened up the door to the room and Chris followed her. Inside it was nearly empty with only two small chairs and a table between. "Aw Chris, did you set this up? You shouldn't have!" Chris smiled proudly, he had hoped Lila would be happy with his pre-interview setup.

"Well, I thought this would be more comfortable for our interview." He explained. Lila hummed.

"Yes well, go ahead and sit down." Chris sat across from Lila. "Today, I'm going to ask you some pretty basic questions, but important nonetheless."

"Okay."

"How old are you Chris?"

"Thirteen, nearly fourteen."

"Wow and you are young and so successful at what you do! What's your secret?" Chris debated his answer in his mind. Part of him wondered if he could trust Lila. So far, his interviews with her were only published in underground papers and articles on the dark web that only fellow criminals can read, but his years as a criminal taught him that no one can be trusted, despite their first appearance.

"Well, people underestimate me because I'm young." He answered carefully. "It's a 'he's just a kid, he can't do anything that bad' situation. For that reason if I'm caught, I'm let go unless there's cold proof in front of me. I'm thankful for it honestly, that's how I got to where I am today."

If you went to a common street in Paris and asked "Who's Chris Lahffie?" you'd probably get a confused look and a shoulder shrug, but if you asked a criminal "Who's Chris Lahiffe?" they'd say he's a hero, a legend, someone to fear and look up too. In the underground he was respected and honored, he was able to escape. Escape from his parents expectations and from his do gooding older brother.

"After all, no ordinary criminal could commit 15 robberies, 10 kidnappings, and have been selling substances on the black market for a little over two years now." As soon as he said it, he knew it was a mistake. Lila's eyes shone like he had just given her world domination and he probably had, unbeknownst to him.

"Thank you Chris Lahffie." She said.

_ 'Was that it?'  _ He thought to himself.

"You're welcome Lila Rossi." He reached out his hand and she shook it. "So, about my help with your revenge on Ladybug..." He trailed off.

"Ah yes, if you refuse to help me, I'll turn this interview into the police," She smiled menacingly. "and before you say it's my word against yours," she continued beating him to his next thought, "I recorded our conversation, what was that you said?" She tapped her finger against her chin in mock thinking. "Ah yes ' I'm let go unless there's cold hard proof in front of me.' Is this cold enough Chris?" She pulled out a small gray tape recorder.

"Y-Y-You wouldn't." Chris' breathing became rapid. "Without me you'll never create an underground name big enough to become famous." He was sure Lila was going to bite his head off. To his surprise she threw her head back and laughed maniacally.

"Is that what you think?" She stood up from her seat and leaned over the table placing her arms on Chris' chair. "Let me make something clear to you. I depend on one person, me. I'm sure many people will want me to interview them. Especially after I've turned in Chris Lahffie, a criminal it seemed that no one could catch. Do you understand?"

"Y-y-yes." He sputtered, genuinely terrified. Lila backed off.

"Good. Now, what are some ideas that you have about how I can get back at Ladybug?"

'Come on Chris, you can't screw this up one wrong move and that tape will be off to the police, then you'll definitely be in hot water!' Suddenly, Chris remembered a rumor that he had heard when he collected a reward for a buddy of his a few days ago. Smiling at Lila he replied,

"Have you ever heard the name Hawkmoth?"


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We get to meet Marinette, Alya and Nino!

"Marinette! I need your help! Stat!" Came the distressed call from her best friend, Alya Césarie. After topping off a man with a cup of coffee Marinette Dupain-Cheng headed back to the kitchen to see what was amiss. Alya's curly auburn hair was up in a ponytail, for the first time in probably ever, but other than that, nothing seemed out of the ordinary.

"What's wrong Alya?" Mari asked. Alya's gaze turned towards her, her hazel eyes peering at her frantically out of black rimmed glasses.

"All of our dishes are made by Gabriel Agreste!" She practically screamed at the girl.

"So?" She asked, almost afraid of the answer. Alya looked at Marinette dubiously.

"You haven't seen it?" Mari shook her head.

"Seen what?" Instead of answering, Alya pulled out her smartphone and loaded a video. An elaborate kitchen appeared and standing behind the counter was Paris' favorite celebrity chef.

 _"Hello everybody! As you probably all know I'm Chat Noir._ " He greeted the camera. He was wearing his standard uniform of a neon green long sleeve, black leggings, and his trademark black apron. The apron and his obsession with cat puns were the two things that gave him the name of Chat Noir when he mysteriously appeared a few years back. He took the nickname and made it his own, adding a black collar with a small golden bell to his ensemble.

Marinette could still remember the annoyance when Chat's "face reveal" turned out to be him hiding behind a black mask, covering the bridge of his nose, making it impossible to recognize the celebrity. He had also added black cat ears to his golden hair, fully basking in the Chat name. 

_"Today I'm doing something a little different."_ He told the camera. _"Instead of making food, I'll be testing and reviewing different brands of kitchenware and which ones you should buy and which ones you should throw out immediately."_ He paused to smile at the camera. _"To remove all personal bias, I will not know which dish is which brand until after I say my input."_ He winked and his voice gained a teasing edge. _"After all,_ how dare _I let_ all _my fans down?"_ Alya smirked at the comment, but Marinette only felt a bit of annoyance. Alya must've sensed Mari's disapproval because she sighed and threw her tan arm around her fellow waitress.

"I know you don't like Chat." Alya began, but Mari cut her off.

"It's not that I don't like him, I just think he's stuck up and arrogant and has _way_ too many fangirls." Alya chuckled.

"Girl, you can't ever have too many fangirls. Now pay attention! The important part is coming up." They turned their attention back to the video.

 _"Now, obviously this pan doesn't hold up very well under heat."_ Chat was saying, holding up a broken pan handle. _"Which is the very thing that it was meant to do."_ Smirking, he tossed what remained of the pan in the trash. _"Well, that was certainly an explosive start."_ He winked at the camera and grinned a Cheshire grin.

"Ugh did he just make a pun?" Mari cringed.

"Yes, yes he did." Alya smirked.

"Can I go back to work now? I don't want to keep customers waiting."

Alya glanced over the counter that separated the kitchen and the dining room. Two people sat at the counter engrossed in a conversation and only a few other tables were occupied.

"I think you're okay to take a small break. Besides, I'm going to need your help to deal with the Agreste dishes."

"And why are Agreste dishes a bad thing?" Marinette asked. She had only recently learnt of the existence of Agreste brand dishes, but she knew that they were a brand used by lots of small cafes. Small businesses had to stick up for one another after all.

"If you'd watch the video you would learn!"

"You can't just tell me?" Mari pleaded.

"Nope! This is more fun." Alya laughed mischievously, obviously enjoying her co-workers' trouble, much to Marinette's annoyance.

"I bet Ladybug would tell me instead of making me watch this video." It was a desperate card, but Marinette knew it would work. Alya clicked her tongue in annoyance at the girl.

"That was cruel, but I still love you."

"So, you're going to just tell me now? After all it is what Ladybu-."

"Ladybug," Alya said, interrupting Marinette "loves torturing her readers with her cliffhangers. What makes you think that you'd be any different?"

"Well I'd-"

"Exactly, girl no offense, but _I'm_ the Ladybug expert out of the two of us."

 _'If only you knew.'_ Mari thought wryly.

 _"Now onto the next tool!"_ Chat announced bringing the girl's attention back to the video.

"Oh! This is the one I needed to show you, so be quiet!" Alya commented.

 _"There are actually five tools from the same brand here. So we'll just test them all!"_ Chat picked up a long white spoon. _"Let's start with a very simple test. A spoon should be able to mix ingredients together, otherwise what good is a spoon?"_ Chat started to stir a pot, but after a few moments he looked down and frowned. _"Well this is a pawsitively awful spoon! These ingredients should definitely have been mixed by now, but I don't see any difference._

 _"Let's hope the next dish will be better."_ He picked up a small cup. _"I hope this can hold liquid."_ He dumped it into the pot, which Mari figured was a soup of some type. She hoped for the maker's sake that this dish would work, but when Chat pulled the cup out liquid poured from it. _"Well, that's not what's supposed to happen fur sure."_ Marinette scoffed at his pun. _"Let's try the next one."_ Chat told the camera.

Unfortunately for the maker, all of the remaining dishes failed at the simplest tasks. _"Well, this maker is absolutely clawful,"_ another wink. _"But, seriously if you value your cooking don't buy from this brand. Even if they were amazing in the past, this brand has shown it's true colors today!"_ An assistant handed him a card with the brand name concealed in it. _"Thank you Plagg, and now for the maker!"_ He tore open the card and his eyes shone with shock and hurt, but only for a split moment, then as quickly as it came, it went away and Chat's joking demeanor returned. _"The brand is the one, the only, Agreste brand."_ Chat revealed.

Alya turned off her cell phone cutting Chat. Mari couldn't understand why, but she felt a flicker of disappointment as she stared at the dark screen.

"That's why I was flipping out, because all of our dishes are Agreste brand."

"Agreste?" Marinette paused to think. "I've heard that name somewhere, other than Gabriel Agreste." She snapped her fingers. "Isn't that the new name of the private eye that just moved in next door?"

"I think so, but I'm not 100% sure." The bell jingled, altering the pair of a new customer.

"I'll get that, it's my shift after all." Mari told Alya.

"Alright, but after we have to brainstorm about what we're going to do about the Agreste dishes." Marinette laughed at her friend's distress over something as small as dishes.

"Okay I promise." She stepped out of the kitchen and into the main dining room to greet the new arrival. "Hello and welcome to Slice of Paradise! How many are in your party?" Marinette asked warmly. The young man turned towards her. He looked young, around her and Alya's age.

"Just one, dude. I wanted to get a quick meal before heading back to work." He said. Marinette led him to a small table, eyeing his clothes. The boy was wearing black dress pants, dress shoes, and a blue plaid collar shirt. She figured he was a lawyer or businessman.

"Here you are sir." Mari set down a menu in front of him before heading back to the kitchen.

"Who's that?" Alya asked. Marinette shrugged in response. "He's cute!"

Mari looked back. He had a u-shape jaw and his face shape reminded her of a turtle. He raked his hand through his short black hair as his bourbon eyes gazed intently at the menu behind black frames. Mari smiled mischievously at her at her friend.

"Do you want to go ask for his order?" She asked Alya and got a hug in response.

"Thanks girl!" She told her before hurrying off. Marinette chuckled and headed to the dining room to clean off tables.

"Mam!" Came the call from a table. "May I get another cup of coffee?" Asked the girl. She had been there for the last thirty minutes scribbling notes down in a small notebook. Marinette recognized her gray fedora, the red jacket, and the gray white polka dotted jumpsuit.

 _'Look what the cat dragged in.'_ Mari thought, annoyed, glaring at the girl. She felt a fake smile spread over her face. "Of course!" She topped off Lila Rossi's cup of coffee before heading back to the kitchen.

 _'What's she doing here? The very place she dissed.'_ Lila had written an article a few weeks earlier talking about the cafe's terrible service and overpriced mediocre food. Now, Marinette is fine with people having their own opinions, but she was the one to wait on Lila when she came in and answered her every beck and call. There was also the fact that Lila had outright lied on the article damaging the store's reputation.

Of course, Mari's boss had blamed her solidifying Marinette's hate for the young reporter. Luckily, Marinette had gotten her revenge and no amount of Tikki scolding her would take away Marinette's sense of accomplishment.

"Mari guess what?" Alya came into the kitchen.

"What?" Marinette asked, genuinely curious about why Alya had been talking to the boy for so long.

"Well, his name is Nino Lahiffe and he works next door!" Alya's smile gave Marinette the feeling that this Nino had quite an impression on Alya.

"Oh? What is he?"

"He's a private eye! He works at Adrien Agreste Private Eye! That's why Agreste sounded so familiar to us."

"Wow a private eye! Don't you think that's a little, um, dangerous?"

"Probably! Isn't that awesome?" Alya exclaimed, Marinette offered her a smile in return.

"I guess."

 _'Ding!'_ The bell announced that another customer had left.

"Are you going to go out and talk to him some more?" Marinette asked Alya. "He's pretty much the only person here." Only Nino and Lila were still in the cafe.

"Maybe once that girl leaves. Wait a minute, isn't that Lila Rossi?" Alya asked and Marinette gritted her teeth.

"Unfortunately."

"I thought she hated this place."

"Me too."

"So why is she here?" Marinette just shrugged then switched subjects, not wanting to talk about Lila anymore.

"So what are we going to do about the Agreste dishes?" Marinette asked. Alya groaned in response.

"I have no idea, do you think we could replace the whole kitchen without anyone noticing?"

"Doubt it. I say leave it for another day."

"B-b-but Chat said-."

"It doesn't matter what Chat said." Mari sighed exasperatedly at Alya's expression of shock. "Look, I know our boss loves him, but that doesn't mean we should go about replacing the entire kitchen without his permission! Besides I don't know what brand to buy! Do you?"

"No." Alya frowned.

"So let's leave it for tomorrow when we can consult with our boss and enjoy the opportunity that has presented itself to us." Marinette swung her arm over her best friend. 'Ding!' Lila was now gone and Marinette had never loved that bell more. Shoving her friend towards Nino, she said. "Go make an impression. Have fun!" Alya smiled over her shoulder and headed over to his table, sitting down across from him.

Marinette was about to start to clean up when she heard her phone buzz. Normally, she wouldn't check her phone at work, but seeing as it was only her, Alya, and Nino left she figured that she could make an exception.

"New source explains why we should quit being fans of Ladybug and Chat Noir immediately." The news banner told Marinette. She scoffed in annoyance. She liked to keep up with the tabloids about her alter ego so that way she would be prepared for whatever the next interview would throw at her. Some of them were so ridiculous they were comical to the young author.

 _'Just another tabloid.'_ She thought, although she did wonder why this source has paired her and Chat together. One was a vlogging chef and the other was a best selling author, the only thing she could think of being similar was the fact they both had masks whether literal like in Chat's case or figurative like in her case. But that couldn't be important, now could it.

She had no idea how wrong she could be.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The calm before the storm.

Lila didn't mind using trickery, after all, that's how she had become one of Paris' most loved bloggers. Until Ladybug. Lila couldn't understand why the writer despised her so much. Before all of this, Lila idolized Ladybug and always praised her in her blogs. Yet, when the time came, instead of honoring Lila as one of her biggest fans she called her a liar, a disgrace to both the journalism and writing worlds. Of course that was true, but her fans didn't need to know that.

It had been a week since Chris had told her about Hawkmoth and it was finally all ready. Ladybug would learn what would happen if you messed with Lila Rossi.

"New source explains why we should quit being fans of Ladybug and Chat Noir immediately." Her phone altered her, along with a text.

"Thank you, Volpina. Your efforts will be rewarded soon."

"You're very welcome Hawkmoth." Lila knew better than to use her actual name. That was Rule #1 when working with underground egos. While Lila Rossi was the name she kept most of the time, she published her interviews with Chris under the alias of Volpina. The only reason that Chris knew her real name was because she had used it to bail him out of juvie. However, using the name Volpina had given her a reputation, a small one sure, but a reputation nonetheless. She figured she could use that to her advantage.

Convincing Hawkmoth to help her had been relatively simple. She would dig up dirt about Ladybug, and that chef, Chat Noir and in return Hawkmoth would broadcast it across Paris, destroying both of their reputations.

The first article was so simple to create it was child's play. The fact that both Ladybug and Chat Noir wore masks were a luxury to Lila, she planned to exploit that fact as much as she could get away with. She had given Hawkmoth an article with a notion that she knew would get the religious people loathing the pair. 

Of course, someone was always coming up with crazy theories about one or the other, but if Lila was good at anything it was getting people to see her side as rational, even right and to write everyone else off as a crazy person. As long as Hawkmoth stuck to her script and no one else's then Ladybug and Chat Noir's reign would soon be over. Lila couldn't wait to see their facial reactions when suddenly their ratings dropped. Their careers would be over and it would all be due to Lila Rossi. 

Revenge had never seemed sweeter.

 _'This will be fun.'_ She thought as she pressed on the link Hawkmoth had sent her.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We meet Adrien Agreste, Plagg, and Hawkmoth!

"Kid, you're in trouble." Was the delightful message Adrien Agreste woke up to.

"Plagg? How'd you get in?" He asked his agent, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes.

"You have bigger problems than how I got in Adrien. Go get dressed, we have to talk."

"Okay." Plagg hopped off his bed and exited the room, giving Adrien the privacy to change. He hurriedly got dressed in black dress pants and an olive green button up and walked out of his room into the main space of his one bedroom apartment.

In the kitchen Plagg was raiding the fridge. "No camembert? What type of person doesn't have camembert cheese with them at all times? Especially a chef! This is unacceptable! I demand you go and buy some camembert immediately!" Adrien inwardly rolled his eyes at his agent's request to fill the need of his sick obsession over the cheese.

"Alright Plagg, I'll go get you some camembert after work today."

"You're filming a video once you're done with your shift, so you'll have to do it after." Adrien wished for the umpteenth time that Plagg didn't have full control over his schedule, it reminded him a little too much of growing up in the Agreste household. Adrien hadn't spoken with his father since he accidentally shamed him. He let out a long sigh.

"Are you sure we have to film a video this week? Seeing as how the last one went it might be better to take a break." Adrien adored being Chat Noir, he got to be himself without having to worry about the reputation on his back as an Agreste. However, he was in no rush to get in front of the camera where he had screwed things up so badly last time.

"Take a break? How the last one went? Your last video was a huge success!" Plagg exclaimed.

 _'Not for everybody.'_ Adrien thought to himself.

As if sensing his mood, Plagg sighed. "Look kid, I know you're beating yourself up about dissing your father's brand, but Gabriel Agreste is Adrien's father, not Chat Noir's. Don't let your viewers down. Gabriel Agreste has had his brand on the market for a _very_ long time. Chat Noir, on the other hand, made an appearance only a few mere years ago. He can't take hits like your father can. That's why we need to get a video out today. The longer we wait to address Hawkmoth's report the worse the backlash will be." Plagg explained softly to the boy, but he had gotten lost half-way through Plagg's explanation.

"Wait, what are you talking about? Who's Hawkmoth?" Plagg blinked three times.

"You haven't seen it." He said, more to himself than to Adrien, as if he were coming to terms with some universal truth. He walked out of Adrien's kitchen and flopped down on his white couch. "Come here kid."

Adrien walked over and sat next to Plagg. Plagg then turned on the T.V. as Adrien gazed out the window to the right at the Eiffel Tower way out in the distance.

 _"Hello Paris, I don't know who you are and you don't know who I am, at least not yet. I am Hawkmoth and I have decided to help you, viewers of Paris, come to light about two celebrities this city can't get out of their head. I'm talking about the ever famous Ladybug and Chat Noir."_ Adrien's head suddenly tore away from the view and onto the reporter that had appeared on screen. He was wearing a black and purple suit and a plastic lavender ski mask which covered his face.

Adrien turned towards Plagg opening his mouth to ask him a question, but Plagg cut him off before the first word even left his mouth. "Just watch kid." His voice lacked even a trace of humor, which scared Adrien.

 _'This must be serious.'_ He thought.

Plagg's normally mischievous pea green eyes looked grave as he raked a pale hand through his inky black hair, obviously distressed. Adrien wished he could cheer him up. His agent wasn't the easiest person to get along with, but Adrien genuinely liked Plagg, even if he did remind him of his childhood.

_"Here's the thing, when they mysteriously came onto the scene a few years ago, nobody knew who they were and now Paris idolizes them. The problem is that, nothing has changed, people of Paris, they are just as unknown now as they were when they first appeared. Why do we trust these people? We don't know anything about them and yet we give them our time, money, thoughts, we put our faith and hope in these ideals. We worship this image of what Ladybug and Chat Noir are. Let me ask you this, people of Paris, are you okay with worshipping a mask? Don't try to deny the fact that it is worship. Thanks to my amazing journalist, Volpina, I was able to get these screenshots."_

The report then showed a photo of Chat's newest video an hour after it was uploaded, and the fact that 80% of Paris had watched it in the first 55 minutes. "As you can see, in not even an hour nearly all of Paris had seen Chat's video and that's not enough to convince you, just look at this."

It was a shot of Chat's merchandise sales.

"How-?"

"I don't know, kid." Plagg put his face in his hands. "I just don't know." Merch sales were private, supposedly, but there they were, displayed for all of Paris to see.

 _"As you can see, on average every person in Paris has at least 15 pieces of Chat's merchandise. Here you can see 200 life-size statues have been sold. Still doesn't sound like worship to you?"_ Hawkmoth raised an eyebrow at the camera.

 _"Now, let's consider that you're actually okay with worshiping, like a religious practice, a chef. You don't know him! He hides behind a mask, but why? It could be something as simple as not wanting to deal with fame, which is fine, however a photo Volpina caught suggests otherwise."_ Adrien felt a gasp escape his mouth as he stared wide eyed at the image on the screen.

"That's _not_ Chat." He managed to choke out. Plagg gave him a look that screamed "Well, duh!"

"I know that! But Paris doesn't! As far as they're concerned that's you." The image showed a supposed Chat Noir entering an underground club.

 _"Now, we are getting experts to examine this photograph live to make sure it's reliable, but this just proves that as much as we adore Chat Noir, we don't know anything about who lies behind the mask."_ He then paused as if waiting for chatter to die down. _"Look, I get that there has always been lots of speculation and theories about Ladybug and Chat Noir that are simply unacceptable, but rest assured I only put truth in what I say and I always back it up with proof. Ladybug and Chat Noir have no proof about who or what they say they are however. I'm sure you all can recall Chat Noir's 'face reveal'. Why would he still continue to hide if he was going to tell us he would reveal? "_ Hawkmoth leaned over the desk he was sitting at.

 _"Let me leave you with this. You were all tricked by him before when he promised a reveal. Who's to say that he's not still tricking us? I guess we'll never know since he won't come out of his mask."_ Hawkmoth's gaze was even at the camera showing just how cruel and cold blue eyes could be.

Plagg turned the T.V. off, sighing. "Now do you see why we need a video out today?"

Adrien just nodded, dumbfounded. "Why? What? How?" Adrien seemed to have lost the ability to talk in full sentences .

"I'm afraid that I don't have any answers for you, Adrien. However, we have to address this to the public immediately or else, I don't know what's going to happen." Adrien put his head in his hands.

"God." There were so many questions running around in his head. "We've got to do something." Plagg glared at Adrien.

"Obviously. Be thankful that you're a vlogger along with a chef and can actually get your word out to the public."

"Yeah."

"I wonder how Ladybug is going to deal with Hawkmoth." Adrien looked back at Plagg, shocked by his comment.

"He barely mentioned her! I'm sure she'll be fine, us on the other hand, will be the exact opposite of fine!" Plagg shook his head.

"I just showed you Chat's portion. Ladybug got it just as bad and she doesn't have the ability to reach out to the public as fast as Chat can. It's not like she has a blog or even social media. You can only reach her via email." Adrien frowned.

"Do you think that we could help her somehow?" He asked hopefully, but Plagg just shook his head.

"Sorry kid, that'll probably make things worse. She needs to fight her own battles."

"But-." Adrien protested.

"But nothing, it would be disastrous if Chat tried to protect her, there's no need to give Hawkmoth more ammo." Adrien sighed, forlorn.

"I know. I just wish I could help her. I don't want her to think that she's going through this alone. Especially if she won't be able to reach out to the public as fast as I can." Plagg frowned as he patted the young man's back.

"You have a good heart Adrien." Adrien smiled softly at his agent and suddenly, an idea came to him. If he had been in a cartoon, you would've been able to see the lightbulb go off over his head.

"Do you think you could get the studio two times in a few weeks?" Adrien asked excitedly. Plagg looked thoughtful for a few moments.

"I can check, but I'm not promising anything." Adrien's grin spread from ear to ear.

"Thanks Plagg!" He hugged his agent who suddenly went rigid. In all of his excitement he had forgotten that Plagg wasn't a huge fan of hugs, or any physical affection for that matter. He quickly let him go, not wanting to overstep his boundaries.

"Yeah, yeah, you're a good client. Now, shouldn't you be somewhere right about now?" Adrien looked down at his watch and felt a surge of panic run through his veins. Plagg was right, he should've been out the door already.

"Crap I'm late!" Grabbing his black dress coat, he rushed our hurriedly, already preparing his excuse for why he was late to Nino.

He stepped into his office on Pierre's Row 30 minutes later. To his surprise and relief, Nino hadn't arrived yet. However his relief soon turned to annoyance because well, Nino hadn't arrived yet.

 _'Why isn't he here?'_ Adrien thought. Of course, he wasn't any better, but Nino shouldn't be late either. It may not be his name on the side of the building, but Nino Lahiffe was still a very important part of Adrien Agreste Private Eye.

Sighing, he walked back to the dull reception area that lacked a receptionist and into his office. This office was either boring or minimalist depending on how you looked at it. The only bit of color came from the blue carpeting. It stood out against his dark brown desk, his large black chair, the two smaller gray chairs his clients sat in when they came to him with a case, and his white walls. The decor wasn't Adrien's favorite. It reminded him of the cold Agreste house he called home for most of his life, but he had to pick his battles. He got to pick the location, but his father had requested he had Natalie Sancoeur, a famous interior designer handle the decor.

Apparently Natalie was an old acquaintance of the older Agreste and Adrien had always tried to keep his father happy. Even if that meant pursuing a career he never wanted in the first place and staying in Paris instead of going out and seeing the world because he was an Agreste. They had been small business owners in Paris for as long as anyone could remember. The thought of an Agreste becoming a vlogging chef that traveled the world was an absurdity to his father.

A _ding!_ Broke Adrien out of his thoughts and altered him that he was no longer alone. He walked out to the reception to see Nino along with a girl he didn't know. The girl had hazel eyes hidden behind rimmed glasses with bouncy auburn curls.

"Yo dude!" Nino told Adrien as he came into view. "There's someone I'd like you to meet!" The girl smiled, but there was something about the sly glint in her eyes that made him wary of her. "This is Alya, we met yesterday at the cafe next door."

"Oh! Slice of Paradise right?" Adrien asked Alya.

"Yep! I was Nino's waitress. He promised to show me his office today." She nodded.

"That's really cool! I'll have to check it out sometime."

"You totally should. I'm guessing your Adrien Agreste?" She asked politely. Adrien smiled wryly.

"What gave it away? Was it the name on the side of the building?" Alya seemed like the type of girl where sarcasm was her first language.

"No it was your name tag." Alya smirked and pointed to his white name tag that adorned his black dress coat.

"Ah, I see."

"Although the sign helped." Alya winked at Adrien and he smiled, glad that she had gotten the joke.

"You know, Alya wants to start a publishing business one of these days. I thought maybe you could give her some tips man, seeing as you're an Agreste." Nino explained.

"Really? That's awesome!" Adrien gave her a big smile not wanting to crush the girl's dreams with all of the behind the scene challenges of running a business quite yet. She seemed like a fun person to hang around and Nino seemed to really care about her. He wouldn't have risked being in trouble otherwise. A lot of the times Nino was more relaxed than a detective should be, but he was a hard worker and he had a firm belief in punctuality. The fact he had risked that for Alya spoke miles for Adrien.

"Thanks! My dream is to find the next Ladybug, I really look up to her." Alya's eyes lit up as she talked passionately.

"Oh?" Adrien inquired.

"She's an amazing author. I love her books so much."

" I presume you've seen Hawkmoth's video then." Just liked that, her eyes dimmed and narrowed.

"Yes I have." She gritted her teeth.

"What are your opinions on it?" Alya's eyes flared up, making Adrien regret asking.

"I don't believe a word that comes out of Hawkmoth's mouth. Even if he does have proof to support his claim, there are just too many unknowns." Alya's words gave Adrien a flicker of hope.

"Unfortunately," she continued "not everyone will see it that way. That photo he used could've been easily photoshopped and even if it wasn't it still could've been staged. However, he brought religion into the equation. Idolatry is a huge no-no in most monotheist religions, especially Christianity. Both Ladybug and Chat Noir will use most of their Christian fans, at least temporarily." This news was nothing new to Adrien, but it still gave him a sense of dread to realize how much trouble Hawkmoth had put him in.

"Then there are the masks." Alya rubbed her temples, obviously distressed about what Hawkmoth had done. "The people who are okay with worshipping Ladybug and Chat Noir will most likely not be okay with worshipping a mask and to complicate matters more, the people who don't believe Hawkmoth's deal about worshipping will believe him about the masks. After all, it is the truth. The truth is we don't know who Ladybug and Chat Noir are, but that doesn't automatically make them criminals. Yet, lots of people will stop being fans of them temporarily and who knows how many will stay away? If Hawkmoth keeps making reports that certainly won't help their cases." Adrien gulped. Alya was right, Hawkmoth would get rid of anyone who wasn't a die hard fan.

"All I know is that I'm not leaving Ladybug. She may hide behind a mask, but she's an amazing author and deserves every ounce of popularity she gets! So what if she said one mean thing one time, I've lost my temper multiple times, but does that make me a bad person? No! Of course not!" Alya fumed. Adrien was relieved to see that Ladybug had at least one person sticking by her side.He wondered in the back of his mind if anyone was ranting for his sake right now, claiming that they'll stick by his side, through thick and thin.

He knew that most of Chat's fans liked him not for his content, but for his puns and his looks. Unlike with Ladybug, who got popular based purely off of her talent. He might have the bigger fan base, but it wasn't bigger by much and he was like the popular kid at school. Everyone begged to be his friend, but the second someone better came along, people would drop him as if he was two week old Chinese take-out.

"She's an amazing author." Nino asked.

"I wonder how she's going to reach out to the public." Adrien told the pair, echoing Plagg from this morning.

"I'm sure she'll think of something, she's very resourceful." Alya told him.

"That's for sure." Adrien agreed. After all, she was able to still have her identity be a secret while still partaking in interviews.

"Maybe she'll reach out via social media?" Nino asked. Both Alya and Adrien knew that she didn't have any.

She was definitely one who liked to stick to the shadows. Chat on the other hand, basked in his fame. He couldn't help it, Chat was his escape from reality. Ever since he was little, he always felt trapped as Adrien Agreste and was only able to escape from it when he was cooking. Becoming a private eye was his father's idea, not his own, but Adrien had learned to never go against his father. Especially when it came to the Agreste legacy of being a small businessman. He was glad he met Nino, but he wished that he could drop the detective job and become Chat Noir full time.

"She doesn't have any. She really prefers to stick to the shadows." Alya answered Nino. "The only way to reach out to her is over email."

"Oh I see. Dude, she's really going to have a tough time reaching out to the public."

"Definitely." Adrien nodded solemnly.

"I wonder if Chat's going to help her."

"Hawkmoth has really thrown them in this mess, but at least they're in it together. They should use that to their advantage and help each other out." Alya thought out loud.

"I certainly hope so." Nino commented. Adrien just remained quiet, deep in thought.

"Sorry boys, but I have to go. Marinette needs my help."

"Marinette?" Adrien asked. Alya smiled.

"My co-worker and best friend. We'll have to get together sometime." With that, Alya walked out of the office, but not before giving Nino a quick hug in thanks, taking him by surprise.

 _'Marinette, what a pretty name.'_ Adrien thought, then came aware that Nino had asked him a question that he had missed. "Sorry, what was that?"

"What do you think, dude?" Nino asked again.

"About what?"

"Alya, Hawkmoth, Ladybug, Chat Noir." Nino supplied. Adrien chose the safest topic to talk about.

"She seems fun." Adrien answered, meaning Alya.

"She is! You know, she served me my meal last night, the best meal I've ever had in my life. I wrote my number on the check and we made plans for a date Saturday. I don't want to mess this up dude! What if she thinks I'm lame? What if she changes her mind about wanting to go out with me? What if she never wants to go out with me again? What if she stops talking to me altogether?" Nino continued to rant about Alya, but Adrien had toned him out.

 _'The only way to reach her is over email.'_ Alya's words rang in Adrien's ear as the final part of his plan came together.

"Adrien, dude, you've got to help me!" Nino's cry brought him back to reality.

"Alright, I'll help you." He replied, laughing softly.

"Thanks man."

"After we do some work." Adrien continued. Nino chuckled.

"Okay, that's fair, thanks man." He patted him on the back as he went into his office and Adrien went into it.

Flopping down on his chair, he powered up his computer and opened a tab to his email. He then typed out two different emails. He sent the first one without hesitation, but the second one demanded almost all of his courage. Taking a deep breath, he hit send.

"Don't worry Ladybug, I'm coming."


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We meet Tikki and see what Hawkmoth has to say about Ladybug!

_Why would he still continue to hide if he was going to tell us he would reveal?"_

"He may not be ready yet! Or he thought he was ready, but chickened out!" Marinette Dupain-Cheng fumed.

_"Let me leave you with this. You were all tricked by him before when he promised a reveal. Who's to say that he's not still tricking us? I guess we'll never know since he won't come out of his mask."_

"You're one to talk 'worshipping masks' look at yourself Hawkmoth! We're not the only ones wearing masks! Where's your reveal? How dare you talk about Chat like this you-." A hand clamped down over Marinette's cutting off her insults.

"Calm down, Marinette." Tikki fretted as she used her other hand to pause the video. Mari groaned.

"Do you promise to compose yourself?" The young publisher asked her client. Marinette nodded and Tikki let go.

"Sorry Tikki, but how could Hawkmoth talk about Chat Noir like that?" It was early in the morning and Marinette and Tikki were sitting in the former's living room to discuss Hawkmoth's video. Tikki had watched it the night prior and had called Marinette immediately to set up a meeting ASAP. She had gotten there the next morning to find that the young author hadn't seen the video yet.

"It's just another tabloid, Tikki. The only difference is that this one is pairing Chat Noir and I together for whatever reason." Marinette had told her, confused why her publisher was so alarmed by this. To her surprise, Tikki had shook her head vigorously.

"This is _not_ just another tabloid, Marinette." She had replied and now they were watching the report together. Said report had pissed off Mari and Tikki needed her to calm down.

"That photo has got to be a fake and shouldn't his sales be private? I should reach out to him, as Ladybug of course, to make sure he's okay. Oh the poor guy. I can't imagine what's going to happen to his videos. I wonder who he's feeling about this right now. Will he be okay Tikki?" Marinette looked so distraught, Tikki wanted to cheer her up right away.

"I-." She started but got caught off.

"He'll be okay, he _has_ to be okay. But what if he won't be okay?" Marinette stood up from her couch and started to pace around the room.

"Why did Hawkmoth only attack Chat? Why not me? It should've been me, how will he handle it?" Marinette sat back down and looked at Tikki forlorn. "Is there anything we can do?" Tikki put her hand on Mari's hand, trying to comfort her before what would come back.

"While your concern for Chat is admirable, we have bigger problems." Marinette looked at her, confused.

"What do you mean?" Tikki nervously tucked a piece of curly dyed candy hair behind a charcoal ear. Her purple eyes distraught.

"You never finished the video. That was Chat's portion, your request about being attacked by Hawkmoth is about to come true. Just watch." Marinette gulped as she pressed the play button on the video.

 _"But Chat Noir isn't the only one who's guilty. There's another celebrity who's loved just as much as Chat and hides behind a mask of her own, Ladybug. Everyone thinks that Ladybug is incredibly innocent, right? Her only fault is the cliffhangers she leaves readers on, but she's supposedly a kind-hearted and compassionate person. Well, just check out this clip from an interview that took place last week."_ A photo of Ladybug's response to her opinions on Lila appeared on screen.

 _"As I quote, 'Lila Ross is a sham. She's a true disgrace to both the writing and journalist world. She's a pathetic liar. Stop reading her articles immediately.' Does that sound innocent, people of Paris? Ladybug is even more unknown than Chat Noir. She may sound kind in interviews, but don't let that illusion cover your eyes. She showed her true colors here and you're worshiping her."_ Another photo appeared on screen, Ladybug's book and merchandise sales.

_"Statistics show that on average, not including books, people have at least 10 pieces of Ladybug merchandise in their household."_

"How?" Marinette sputtered. Tikki just shook her head and smiled sadly.

"He got Chat's merchandise sales, too. I have no idea how it happened."

 _"As for her books, it's an average of three a household and she's only published five books! Of course she'd have an ego! People of Paris, Ladybug think it's appropriate to ridicule this young author because you have shown her the power she holds. It starts with this young girl whose done nothing wrong, but before we know it, Ladybug herself will be the only person safe from her tyranny."_ Marinette's jaw dropped, flabbergasted.

"Wha-bu-huh?" She sputtered, having lost the ability to speak in full sentences.

 _"But! Put her in her place, show her she doesn't have the power to rule over you all and we can end her tyranny. Now you can call me a fake, a phony, but I'm not wrong. You worship Ladybug and Chat Noir, deny it all you want, but you know that you'd be nothing without these idols."_ He stared straight at the camera. His harsh blue eyes seemingly boring into Marinette's soul, or so it seemed. _"Prove me wrong Paris, I dare you."_ Then the video disappeared.

"Tikki..."

"Yes Marinette?"

"What are we going to do? I don't have social media, only an email that will probably fill up with hate mail." As if on cue, Marinette felt a buzz in her pocket. Sighing, she pulled out her phone. Sure enough it was a hate message.

"I don't know Marinette, but I'm sure we'll think of something! In the meantime, you as Marinette, should continue as normal, after all this video is hurting Ladybug's reputation, not Marinette's. No one can know your identity, especially now."

"Not even my parents?" Marinette asked.

"Not even your parents." Tikki responded.

Marinette's parents didn't know that she was Ladybug. She hadn't intended it to be a secret forever, but she had decided to write under an alias when she thought she was entering a harmless school competition, but she had gotten the email addresses wrong and had accidentally sent her entry to Tikki instead. Tikki had loved the work and asked if she could publish it. Marinette had, of course, said yes planning to tell her parents shortly after that, and then Ladybug became Paris' #1 best-selling author. Now, after being Ladybug for a little over two years, her parents still didn't know about the only secret she kept. But, Marinette could deal with the consequences of keeping her secret from her parents later, she had more pressing matters to deal with now.

"I understand, Tikki." Tikki stood and hugged Mari.

"I have to go now, but I'll be sure to keep in touch." Marinette showed Tikki out the door and then headed up to her room to get ready for work.

She pulled her midnight blue locks up into a bun and got dressed in her normal work outfit. A puffed-sleeved white blouse with pink flowers strung together by a black vine at the cuffs and a pink skirt that went down to the black ankle boots Marinette wore. Marinette always wore black earrings, a black necklace, and a black bracelet to accent the vine that strung the pink flowers on the blouse together.

Of course this wasn't the exact work uniform Slice of Paradise required. For waitresses only a white puff-sleeved blouse and a long skirt was required, the rest of it was up to the waitress herself. The owner and boss wanted to have variety in the outfits to represent the variety of food Slice of Paradise serves. Marinette had made hers and had given Alya a matching one, only with red flowers and a green vine instead of pink and black.

Fifteen minutes later, she entered the cafe on Pierre's Row using a side entrance that was employees only.

"Hey girl!" Alya waved at her as she walked into the kitchen.

"Hi." The cafe was yet to open and Marinette didn't necessarily be there for opening, but ever since she got in trouble with her boss a few weeks ago, she was trying tirelessly to get back in his good graces.

"You're here early today." Alya commented. Marinette was normally late, even to her regular scheduled shifts, so the fact that she was here before her shift even began was abnormal.

"Anything to get back on M Damocles good side."

"I still believe he blamed you for what happened with Lila. At least she got what she deserved. Go Ladybug, right?"

"Go Ladybug." Marinette replied weakly. Alya picked up on her best friend's lack of enthusiasm. Say what you want about her punctuality, but Marinette had a firm belief in justice.

"You alright girl?" Alya asked, her eyebrows knitting in concern. Marinette didn't want to lie to Alya, but Tikki's warnings flashed through her head.

 _'No one can know your identity, especially now.'_ She had said, sighing wishing that she could tell the whole truth, she replied to Alya's question.

"Yeah, yeah, just tried. I'm not used to being here this early." It wasn't exactly a _lie_ , just not the whole truth. She was always late to her job due to oversleeping. She couldn't help it, once she got to writing or designing passionately, she wouldn't stop until 2 or 3 am.

"Uh-huh." Alya looked at her skeptically. Marinette could tell that Alya didn't believe her and she needed to change the subject quickly. Luckily, there was one subject that never failed to get Alya talking.

"Speaking of Ladybug, have you seen Hawkmoth's video yet?" Marinette inquired. Alya's mood went from skeptical to annoyed as soon as the word Hawkmoth left Marinette's mouth.

"Unfortunately." Alya crossed her arms.

"What, uh, what are your opinions on it?" Marinette knew that Alya was a huge Ladybug fan, but Hawkmoth was very convincing, even Marinette, who was Ladybug herself, had a hard time not seeing reason in his words.

"Like I explained to Adrien and Nino earlier, it's a load of bullcrap, but not a lot of people will see it that way."

"Oh, so you were with Nino this morning?" Marinette smirked. Alya's blush suddenly became evident on her cheeks.

"He promised to show me his office." Alya's voice was shy, for once.

"Is that so? What did you guys do while he was, ahem, 'showing you his office'?" Mari slyly asked. Alya's cheeks exploded. It wasn't often Marinette got to see her fellow waitress lose her composure, and she was loving every minute of it.

 _'Serves her right.'_ Mari thought, smirking. _'She teases me all the time, payback is long overdue.'_

"Marinette!" Alya scolded her and Mari let out a laugh.

"Relax, Alya, I'm only teasing."

"Hmph." Came the reply. Feeling somewhat guilty about her friend's discomfort, Marinette decided to change subjects.

"So, you got to meet Adrien?"

"Yeah! He seemed really nice! I told him that we need to all hang out together sometime."

"Oh, you did?" Mari asked nervously.

"Definitely!"

"Well, uh, that may not work out, you know with the bakery and here." Marinette told her. _'Not to mention being Ladybug.'_

"Mlle Césaire, it's time to open." Their boss, M Damocles came striding into the restaurant. "Mlle Dupain-Cheng, what a pleasant surprise to see that you are here this early!" Mari broke out into a huge grin, glad she pleased her boss.

"Of course, sir." Alya went out and unlocked the door and changed the sign from "Sorry, we're closed." to "Come in! We're open." She then headed to the receptionist desk, seeing as it was her shift.

Marinette knew that Alya's heart belonged in publishing, but that didn't mean she wasn't passionate about her work. Alya worked full-time at Slice of Paradise, staying for at least 9-10 of the 15 hours the cafe was open on most weekdays. Mari couldn't understand how that girl could do it. Of course, she wasn't also a famous Parisian author who now had a reporter trying to destroy her reputation.

Marinette frowned, remembering how Hawkmoth had painted her and Chat Noir as villains. She couldn't shake the feeling that Lila had something to do with it all. She had come up in the report after all.

Mari wondered what Chat Noir was thinking about all of this. If he was just as worried about her as she was about him. Not that it mattered. She didn't care if he was pacing the floor, wondering if he could help out Ladybug in anyway. She didn't care if he was concerned on his behalf, if he was trying to figure out a way to help her, to protect her. She didn't care if those dazzling green eyes were focused on a screen sending out an email to her, checking up on her. It didn't matter to Marinette if he hadn't stopped thinking about Ladybug since the moment he watched the video. Nope! Not to Marinette Dupain-Cheng!

Marinette sighed to herself. Even if he _was_ sometimes annoying, she was worried about Chat Noir. Most of his fans liked him for his looks and his puns, not so much his content. Ladybug, on the other hand, became famous before anyone even knew what she looked like, much less her persona. Mari knew that they would both suffer from this, but Chat's fans would take less convincing to leave than Ladybug's. Luckily for Hawkmoth, Ladybug _was_ less known than Chat. While Chat's personality shown through on every video, it was hard to see who Ladybug was besides the rare interview and she always kept her answers rather vague.

The consequences seemed to even out. Chat Noir was more known, but he had the fans that would take less convincing. Ladybug was an unknown, but her fans seemed to enjoy her writings, despite knowing very little about her.

"Mari!" Alya's call broke her out of her thoughts. She looked up to see that a large family had just walked in. _'Can you get these guys? Please?'_ Alya's eyes begged her.

Marinette smiled and walked over to Alya to grab a handful of menus and then lead them to a large table, reserved for groups like them.

"Here's where you will be sitting." Marinette set their table. Then another group walked in for Mari to handle and then another and then another.

 _'Good, this is good.'_ She thought to herself as she led her tenth party to a table. _'Get your mind off things. Focus on work, don't focus on Hawkmoth, or Chat, or the fact that your email is filling up with tons of hate mail.'_ Marinette had turned off her mail notifications as soon as she headed off to work. She had checked it one last time and saw that there were over 2,000 new emails right before she went into the cafe. She had scrolled down a little ways to confirm her suspicions. They all were hate mail. She hadn't bothered to check her email after that.

Even though the day was busy, busier than a normal work day, her mind still strayed to Chat Noir. She thought about how worried he must be. What if he relied on his videos for money? How could Hawkmoth do that? Chat seemed like the type of person who wouldn't want to offend anyone, how could he have gotten on Hawkmoth's bad side? She sighed to herself as she walked back to the kitchen to give the orders to M Damocles.

"Hello and Welcome to Slice of Paradise!" Alya greeted the next group.

 _'A waitresses work is never done.'_ She thought to herself. Throughout the day she kept on trying to find a good moment to reach out to Chat, but has been failing miserably so far. It was as if the universe was just conspiring against her.

Finally, after what seemed like eternity, her shift ended. Alya's shift, however, would not be over for another half an hour, so to pass the time she decided to go to the coffee shop across the street.

After changing from her work outfit to a baby pink turtleneck with exposed shoulders and black leggings, she stepped into Coffee and Cream and took a deep breath, enjoying the smell of the coffee grinds and pastries. The baby blue walls and mahogany tables with black steel bar-stools were a comforting sight to Marinette.

"Hi Mari!" A voice greeted her as she walked in. A boy with bright red hair and equally bright blue eyes was standing behind the counter.

"Hey Nathaniel." She stepped up to the counter, and opened up her purse to get out her Coffee and Cream members card.

"The usual?" He questioned. She nodded.

"You know it!" She was a regular at the coffee shop, often coming in after her shift to write or design. Nathaniel's schedule seemed to line up with hers, so he was often behind the counter whenever she entered the cafe. She stepped up to pay as he got out a strawberry danish from the glass case.

She then sat down in a large black chair with a mahogany table in front, right by the counter where you picked up your order. Mari pulled out her phone and decided to clear out her email. She'd have to start doing it daily if everyone thought it would be proper to send her their opinion on Hawkmoth. She was surprised to see that some emails were asking her if she were okay or claiming that they would always read her books, no matter what Hawkmoth claimed.

"Mari?" Nathaniel had her drink in his hand. She smiled up at him and grabbed the cup.

"Thanks Nath!" She said. She took a long drink as she continued to scroll and delete emails.

Her mind strayed back to Chat again. What type of whiplash was he experiencing? Was his email as full as hers? Probably not. His email wasn't the best way to reach out to him.

Nevertheless, Marinette planned to send out an email to him the second she was through with cleaning out hers. She just needed to figure out what she was going to say. It would be the first time they'd talked with each other and first impressions were very important.

Marinette was so lost in her thoughts that she almost didn't see it and once she did, she couldn't believe it was there. She read it again and again and again just for good measure making sure it wasn't a trick of the light or her over-active imagination. But no, there it was sitting in her inbox.

Taking a deep breath and summoning all of her courage she pressed on the banner.

To anyone else in the coffee shop, she would appear normal, but Marinette Dupain-Cheng was anything but. After all, no normal girl in Paris would get an email from a certain cat-themed chef asking for help.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We get some Alya and Marinette bonding on their shopping trip!

Alya Césaire was irritated. No, that was an understatement. Alya Césaire was not only irritated, she was offended, displeased, provoked. In conclusion, she was  _ pissed.  _ She knew that she had to do something, but what? 

"Alya, you okay?" Marinette gently nudged her. They were out shopping for Alya's date on Saturday, but she just couldn't concentrate for the life of her.

"Yeah, yeah. I'm fine Mari. What do you think about this?" She absentmindedly grabbed a light orange sweater off of a hanger.

"It's cute, and it definitely goes with your hair." The girl commented. Alya's hair was naturally a reddish-brown, but she had put auburn highlights in due to a game of truth or dare back when she was in high school and she couldn't bear to part with them. Unfortunately, the bright auburn did eliminate any chance of wearing certain colors. 

"Yeah."

"But, you're going to need something else to go with it." The sweater was open in the front, and had no buttons. It was obviously meant as an accessory.

"Right of course." 

"Hello ladies! Anything you're looking for in particular?" Said a bubbly voice behind them. A small girl with short blonde hair and periwinkle eyes greeted them. She was wearing a striped dress that alternated in different shades of pink, white leggings, and pink sandals. 

"Actually, we were trying to find the perfect outfit for my friend's date." Mari flung her arm arounds Alya's shoulder as the latter smiled nervously.

"Oh! Well, is it casual or formal?" The girl inquired.

"I'm not really sure." Alya said. "I know he's picking me up after work, so it will take place at night."

"Hmmm." The girl tapped her chin. Her face brightened into a big smile. "I think I know exactly where to take you!" The girl led them through rows of clothes, shows, and accessories, until they were in a small area of the store. Racks held all sorts of dresses from elite prom dresses to casual Sunday dresses. A few gray chairs were surrounding a table and a small door which Alya figured led to a changing room was in the area. "Here we are!"

"Thank you." Alya smiled, excitement bubbling inside of her as the reality of her situation dawned on her. She was here to shop for a date! With a guy that she really liked! 

"Of course!" The girl smiled warmly at them. "If you need anything else just ask for Rose Lavillant!" She then walked off to an area marked as "Employees Only." Which, seeing as she was the co-owner of the clothing shop they were in, Juleka with a Rose, she had every right to be there.

"Oh my gosh! That was the co-owner!" Mari squealed beside Alya. Alya smirked.

"You don't say..."

"Oh shush Alya! You know I've always wanted to run a business. Preferably a quaint little bookshop and that I could live above." 

"What about your fashion designs girl?" Alya asked her best friend. Marinette waved her aside. 

"I'd run a website for them. I can handle both, I'm already doing commissions and working at Slice of Paradise." She said.

"As long as the bookshop has the books that I'm going to publish, I'm good." Alya teased, throwing her arm around her best friend. 

"Of course! Now come on, we gotta find you the perfect dress for your date with Nino!" Marinette started rifling through dresses. Pulling out certain ones and draping them on one of the chairs

"Marinette?" Alya asked hesitantly.

"Yeah Alya?" 

"How bad do you think this Hawkmoth guy is?" She asked. She noticed that Marinette had frozen.

"I'm not sure." She murmured. "I hope that this will die down. It's not like there hasn't been backlash against Ladybug and Chat Noir before. Every celebrity has haters." 

Alya eyed her best friend skeptically. 

"I guess you're right." She said. "It's just, Ladybug seems really young, like our age, I can't help but worry that she  _ needs _ this money, and now that she's not getting it..." Alya trailed off. 

She felt a hand on her shoulder.

"I'm sure that if Ladybug heard that she'd be honored." Marinette told her, smiling.

"Yeah, I wish there was something we could do, you know?" Alya asked. Marinette shrugged.

"Well, I'd say let's wait. Sure, Hawkmoth was able to get a prime-time slot on the news, and that in itself makes this different, but if it was just one time, this will all go away eventually."

"And if it's not?" Alya asked. Marinette bit her lip.

"Well, if it's not then we'll never stop supporting them." Alya looked at her curiously. "We'll keep watching Chat's videos and buying Ladybug's books."

"I thought you weren't a fan of Chat Noir." Alya mused. Marinette's face flushed with embarrassment.

"Yeah well, that doesn't mean he deserves this hate!" She said. Alya shrugged.

"You're right, as always." She winked, feeling better about this Hawkmoth situation.

She was Ladybug's #1 fan after all.

"Now come on! Enough worrying about Hawkmoth, you're supposed to be shopping for a date!" Marinette cheered. Alya smiled.

"Yeah you're right. Hey! I meant to tell you! That Adrien guy from this morning-!"

"Nino's partner?" Marinette asked, cutting Alya off.

"Yeah, he runs the place and he told me that the publishing firm was awesome!" Alya cheered.

"Really? That's great!" Marinette said.

"Yeah! And since he's an Agreste, he's an expert on business!"

"Isn't Gabriel Agreste a relative of his?" Marinette mused. Alya waved her off.

"I'm sure Adrien's business is better than his. I've been doing research and the Agreste's are pretty much famous for their small businesses." She explained. "If Adrien can give me some advice, then it could seriously help!"

"I'm super happy for you Alya!"

"I'm still in disbelief." Alya said, stars in her eyes. "I'm going on a date with a great guy, I may get my business rolling even sooner than I thought!"

"Now all you need is to pay for business school." Marinette told her.

"I've got Slice of Paradise for that." Alya said, winking. Of course, being a minimum-wage worker wasn't even close to being enough for paying for college, but it was something. The more she saved the closer she was.

"You aren't working too hard, right?" Marinette asked. Alya knew that she worked more than the average early-twenties waitress, but it really wasn't a problem. It would all pay off anyway.

"Mari, I'm fine." Alya told her best friend. "You worry too much."

"Well, I just don't want you to be overworked to the point you don't have time to breathe anymore." Marinette pouted. 

"I should be asking about you, girl. You work at Slice of Paradise only part-time and-."

"That's a really pretty dress, you know." Marinette exclaimed, cutting Alya off and nodding towards the dress. 

It was a long-sleeved, velvet, form-fitting, dark purple dress. 

Alya held it up to her.

"Good for a first date?" She asked.

"It's not too fancy, but it  _ is _ regal." Marinette smiled a bit.

"It's a court-cut neckline." Alya observed. Marinette bumped into her playfully.

"Look at you with your fashion terms." She teased.

"Blame Ladybug." Alya remarked. "She's the one who made Charity White a fashion designer." 

Charity White was the protagonist of Ladybug's first ever book  _ Capsize. _ It was all about a trip to fashion camp gone wrong.

Alya loved it and so did Marinette, although it was for very different reasons.

"So you're now considered an expert in fashion thanks to Charity?" Marinette teased.

"Yes." The two girls laughed.

"I love that dress, but I'm not sure if it would be proper first date etiquette." Marinette commented.

"Something more casual?" The girls met each other's gaze and nodded.

"Something..." Marinette trailed off, riffling through clothes, "like...." her eye spotted something. "this!" She pulled out the shirt triumphantly. 

It was a plaid black and white sweater, with buttons so you could wear it on it's own.

"Wear this with a camisole underneath and light-blue ripped jeans." Marinette told Alya.

"Good eye Mari!" Alya complimented, taking the sweater from her best friend. "You don't think it's too casual?" She asked.

"This is a first date, right?" Marinette asked. "It's fine." She followed up, not waiting for an answer.

"Well, you're the fashion designer." Alya said, smiling.

" _ Future _ fashion designer." Marinette corrected.

"Oh come on Mari! You already altered our uniforms and you make most of your own clothes! You're a fashion designer." 

"Thanks Alya." Marinette gave her friend a small smile.

"Anytime girl, anytime. So do you think Nino will like it?" 

"He'd be crazy not to." Alya smiled at her best friend. "You're going to call me after the date is over, right?" Marinette gave Alya a pointed look.

"You know I will girl! If I don't you'll just end up spying on me, again." Alya smirked. Marinette smiled sheepishly.

"Like you wouldn't do that to me." She told Alya.

"I would, if you actually went on dates." Alya threw her arm around her best friend playfully. 

"I'm busy!" Marinette protested. "It's not like I've never gone on a date before." She grumbled under her breath. Alya laughed.

"I'm just teasing. You know I'll never hesitate to set you up. Just give me a call."

"Will do Alya, will do." Marinette laughed.

Alya smiled at her best friend. Hawkmoth was now the farthest thing from her mind.

She needed more afternoons like this. Relaxing with her best friend, looking at clothes for a date, it was almost perfect.

She still couldn't shake the feeling that something was coming. Something that would change her life. 


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Did someone say LadyNoir?

Adrien Agreste looked up from his paperwork at the alert on his computer.

Normally, he would've let it go. He had just moved into this office, and things had been wrapped up at the old place as far as his cases were concerned. His only paperwork seemed to be bills and settling things.

But, he was still signed into his Chat Noir account on his computer.

Nobody really knew that Chat Noir had an email, so it hadn't been filled with hate mail, unlike with his DM's and comments on his vlog.

Could it be....?

He turned to his computer anxiously, wondering if it was the response he had been waiting for all day.

**From: plagg.kwami@miraculous.com**

**R.E.: Studio**

**It must be your lucky day kid. I was able to book the studio for next Wednesday from 20:00-22:00, will that work with your busy schedule Detective? By the way, you're expected on set at 17:00 tonight. Don't be late.**

**-Plagg**

Adrien sighed. So it wasn't _exactly_ who he had hoped it had been, but it still gave him more information if she ever were to respond.

**From: chatnoir.official@miraculous.com**

**Replying To: plagg.kwami@miraculous.com**

**R.E.: Studio**

**Thank you so much Plagg! I totally owe you one. Don't worry, things are slow here at the studio, so I might even be early. If everything goes to plan, then you won't regret booking the studio twice a week.**

**-Adrien**

After sending off his email to Plagg, Adrien walked over to Nino's office.

"Hey." Adrien knocked on the door. Nino swiveled around, facing him.

"Hey dude. What's up?"

"Everything good in here?"

"Yeah man, it's so slow." Adrien smiled.

"And it's only Wednesday." Nino gave him a grin.

"True, I'm just trying to make it to Saturday. I've got a date." Adrien grinned.

"Good luck man, but don't worry Alya would be crazy not to go out with you." He told Nino.

"Thanks for the boost of confidence, dude."

"Yeah no problem."

Adrien headed back to his office, wanting to do some damage control to his account before he headed out to the studio that evening. He didn't want to go into the battlefield, blindsided.

He sighed and flopped down into his desk chair and went to his vlog.

As expected, it was mayhem.

Fans saying they'd be there for him no matter what Hawkmoth says.

Haters saying that they'd be out for him.

Fans and haters arguing.

Adrien chuckled as he witnessed a comment being deleted before his very eyes, no doubt Plagg working with damage control.

Luckily, with him and Plagg being owners of his website that Chat Noir posted videos on, he was able to delete any content he thought was inappropriate.

Then a banner popped up.

He blinked, thinking he imagined it, but nope, the banner was still there.

Quickly, he went over to his email.

**From: luckyladybug@miraculous.com**

**Replying To: chatnoir.official@miraculous.com**

**RE: Hawkmoth**

**Hey Chat Noir. Thanks for reaching out to me. I'm sorry, I don't really know how to handle this. I've of course been in tabloids before, but none of them had seemed this... threatening? Then there's the fact that I don't have social media and my email is pretty much overflowing with hate mail at this point. That's part of the reason why I didn't see your email until now, I was busy clearing out my inbox, so sorry about the late reply. Now, tell me more about this solution you have to help us out of this mess with Hawkmoth?**

**-Ladybug**

Adrien scanned the email anxiously, still in disbelief that Ladybug had actually emailed him back! He quickly typed out a reply. After all, this was a hundred times more urgent than any paperwork he had to get done.

**From: chatnoir.official@miraculous.com**

**Replying To: luckyladybug@miraculous.com**

**RE: Hawkmoth**

**Hello Ladybug. Thanks for reaching out, I really appreciate it. I see that your email is connected to the Miraculous company? My agent is a kwami same as your publisher I'm guessing?**

Miraculous was pretty much the opposite of what the Agreste brand was. It was a large billion dollar company that oversaw pretty much any and all professions. The people who worked there were called kwamis, and kwamis could be all sorts of things! Plagg once told him about a kwami who helped people meditate and find their inner peace. Apparently, Plagg was good friends with the man. It had taken several photos to convince Adrien that his chaotic agent could get along with a yoga instructor.

**Anyway, Plagg, that's his name, has booked the studio I film at for next Wednesday from 20:00-22:00. I was thinking we could meet then. You can make a formal address to the public and post it somewhere. I'd let you post it to my vlog, but Plagg said that would give Hawkmoth more ammo. Maybe we can figure something out before then? I could always start up another vlog, only dedicated to you, but I can understand how important anomaly is for some people. I myself will be in costume.**

Adrien hoped that would be okay. He highly doubted that he knew Ladybug in real life, Lord knows he didn't know many people at all. After being home-schooled for all his life, then having his father enroll him into an online course of detective work. Of course, Adrien went along with it. His father's life was hard enough without him trying to cause any problems.

Adrien hesitated before typing again, not really knowing how to end this email.

**I hope to hear from you soon and that you can make it!**

It was good, but Adrien felt like it still needed something more.

**Don't worry, Hawkmoth will rue the day he messed with us.**

Still missing something.

**I hope this will be the beginning of a pawsome partnership!**

There. That was better. When in doubt, throw in a cat pun! Adrien signed the email and went back to his paperwork regretfully. A few minutes passed and he heard the notification go off again.

**From: luckyladybug@miraculous.com**

**Replying To: chatnoir.official@miraculous.com**

**RE: Hawkmoth**

**I'm going to ignore the cat pun.**

Adrien had to laugh.

**Next Wednesday should work for me, I'll be coming mask on too.**

Adrien broke out into a grin. Ladybug was coming! He was going to meet her! Oh boy, that meant he had some homework to do this weekend. Even though he had heard her name here and there, he had never found the time to pick up one of her books. His studies, cases, and Chat Noir had kept him busy.

But, he didn't have an urgent case now and he didn't have any obligations this weekend, it would be a perfect time to go out and buy all her books. Not only to see what the fuss was about, but to also have something to talk to her about.

**About your video idea, it's clever, I have to admit, but I wouldn't be able to post it anywhere. I know you said you'd be willing to start up another vlog for me, which is super sweet by the way, but I wouldn't be able to keep up. I write books, not film videos. That's your area of expertise.**

Adrien felt conflicted. On one hand, she called his idea clever! On the other hand, she said it wouldn't work.

**I'm not sure how we're going to handle this Hawkmoth ordeal. I hope that it will die down just like every other rumor and tabloid out there, but he was able to get on the mainstream news. He was able to tell everyone his story, not just the people who like watching celebrity drama for the heck of it.**

Adrien frowned. He knew that she was right. There were going to be haters for every celebrity out there, no matter what they did right or wrong, but they were just haters. Causing drama for the sake of it, but with Hawkmoth he targeted everybody.

**My kwami and publisher (yes, you were right), Tikki, told me that this wasn't "just another tabloid" when she woke** **me up this morning and if my email has any indication, it'll take a lot of damage control to come back on top.**

Adrien let out a sigh. He had hoped that this would die down, but no tabloid had ever gotten a reaction like the one he had received out of his viewers.

**I'm not sure what being Chat Noir means to you, but Ladybug is a source that I need.**

What being Chat Noir meant to him?

Oh he knew how to answer that question.

Maybe someday he'd come around to telling people the real reason he wanted to be a chef, instead of saying the normal, "I like to cook".

**Hawkmoth would like to get rid of that source and he's doing it in rather illegal ways. You and I both know that merch sales are meant to be private and that photo of you...**

Adrien felt his blood run cold. Sure, he had never met with Ladybug and he only started talking with her today, but if he was going to work with her then he'd rather not have her be under the impression that he went to sketchy clubs in his downtime.

**It's obviously photo-shopped or set up somehow. Anyone with two brain-cells would figure that out.**

Phew. Okay. Heart recovered.

He was glad that Ladybug didn't believe the photo, even though she had never met him.

**Which is worse for our case, because that means that Hawkmoth will use unethical methods to make our fans hate us. Whether that's hacking into our merch sales (which Tikki is super upset over, I can only assume that it's the same for Plagg) or making photos that put us into compromising positions. We'll have to be smarter than him, expose his lies before he "exposes" us. But, I have no clue how to do that. As I mentioned before, this'll take a lot of damage control.**

Ah yes, damage control. He should really help Plagg with that.

Oh well, it could wait until after he emailed Ladybug back

**Like I said, my email has been filled to the brim with hate mail. That was the reason (and work) why I didn't see your email until hours later. I can only assume it's the same case for you. Good thing we've got Tikki and Plagg on our side!**

Adrien really did appreciate Plagg's efforts. He'll have to make his next-video camembert themed. If there was a next video.

He quickly shook that thought from his head.

No, there would be a next video.

**I do hope that we can figure things out. I don't really know you, but I hope that our friendship will be something good that comes out of this.**

**Hope to hear from you soon!**

**-Ladybug**

Adrien grinned, she wanted to be friends! He didn't have many, only Nino, Plagg and-

Okay, he had Nino and Plagg.

But now Ladybug wanted to be friends!

Maybe something good would come out of this after all.

**From: chatnoir.official@miraculous.com**

**Replying To: luckyladybug@miraculous.com**

**RE: Hawkmoth**

**Hey Ladybug! I'm so happy that you'll be able to make it to the next Wednesday video!**

**Don't worry about the video idea. I totally get why running a vlog could be stressful, especially for Paris' best-selling author! We can totally figure something else out!**

Could they?

He didn't have any other ideas, hopefully she did.

**As far as damage control goes the comment section on my vlog is nothing short of mayhem. Not everyone is hating on me (thank goodness), but there's a good amount of people fighting my fans. Plagg has probably been deleting them all day and I'll probably help as soon as I'm finished with work.**

**I really am thankful for my agent. Hopefully he will help us get this situation under control and**

Adrien checked the name of Ladybug's kwami.

**Tikki too!**

**I really hope everything does settle down with Hawkmoth. Chat Noir, well, he's more than just a hobby and an extra way of making money to me. And to you Ladybug is a necessity. I may not know you yet, but I know that you don't deserve this.**

It was true, what had Ladybug done to deserve Hawkmoth targeting her? What had he done to deserve Hawkmoth targeting him? Just another piece to the puzzle.

**As far as his methods go, I honestly have no clue how he got a hold of our merchandise sales. Maybe he hacked into the system? I'm so glad you don't believe that the photo he used of "me" wasn't real, because it isn't. It's probably staged seeing as he said something about getting a professional photo investigator to see if it had been altered in any way.**

Another thought popped into Adrien's head.

**Or he could pay off the photo investigator. If he was able to get on mainstream news his first time ever showing up, he's got to have some money in his pocket. Probably some rich stuck-up billionaire who had nothing better to do than to be petty.**

Adrien typed. The nearly flinched when he realized how rude that sounded.

**Sorry if that sounds really mean.**

He typed out.

**But, what type of man would go out of his way to attack us like this? We've done nothing wrong! At least, I don't think I have, but obviously something I did rubbed him the wrong way. Unless he's someone who just loves to stir up unnecessary drama in the celebrity world. And if he is one of those people, then don't worry he'll lose interest in us soon and move on.**

He hoped.

**Anyway, I'm super excited to be meeting you next Wednesday!**

Might as well talk about the lighter side of their predicament. The fact that they could become friends from this was a lot less threatening than a man wanting to do anything to ruin their reputations.

**I think it could just be a brainstorming session for future ideas. I'm filming a video this afternoon, so we'll see how well that's received. If the comment section is anything to go by, about 50% of my fans have turned on me and are commenting hate. The truth is that my fans will be easier to convince to leave me than yours.**

**You got famous because of your talent, I got famous because of my looks and charms. There are plenty other charismatic video stars out there. I don't want that to be the reason I got popular, but I know it is. Because of that, as loyal as all my "fangirls" claim to be, I know that a lot of them aren't.**

Adrien thought back to Alya, how she had defended Ladybug so passionately. He hoped maybe that could cheer her up.

**I met a fan of yours today. She told me that she would stick by you no matter what and didn't believe a word that came out of Hawkmoth's mouth. She said that she would always be your fan. And I agree with her. Just remember, no matter how bad things get, you'll always have me as a supporter.**

**-Chat Noir**

Adrien hoped that that wasn't too forward. He really just wanted her to know that she had his support. He didn't know her all that well, but she seemed like she was a nice enough person.

He sent off the email, and then returned to his vlog to help Plagg in deleting all of the hate comments. It was a few minutes before Ladybug was able to email him back.

**From: luckyladybug@miraculous.com**

**Replying To: chatnoir.official@miraculous.com**

**RE: Hawkmoth**

**Hey Chat Noir, I want to thank you for telling me about that fan who promised to stick by my side and that you would as well. That means a lot more than you could ever know. And I hope that you know the same goes for you as well. By that I mean I'll always be here as your supporter as well. We've got to stick together during these times.**

Adrien smiled at that. She was right, they needed each other to get this. After all, if this continued, Ladybug might be Chat Noir's only friend.

Adrien quickly shook that thought from his head. No, that couldn't happen. That _wouldn't_ happen. He and Ladybug would stop that before it happened. They'd figure something out.

**I was thinking. We obviously have to do something about Hawkmoth and as sweet as it was for you to suggest it, a vlog for me just wouldn't work. But, I'm starting to have an idea of what else could possibly work, but if your video is well received this afternoon, we probably won't need it. We'll see what happens, won't we?**

**About what you said about our fans and their differences, I disagree.**

Adrien shook his head, chuckling ruefully. Of course she would, but he knew it was the truth.

**Sure, fans of yours might care about your looks now, but remember your first video?**

That he did. It was a ten minute long quick recipe compilation video.

**The only parts of yourself that you showed were your hands. I don't think many people swoon over hands.**

Adrien chuckled at that.

**And! You got super popular** **_before_ ** **your "face reveal" and that apron doesn't reveal much. So, your fans who you think only care about your looks, probably care a lot more than you think. Take my boss for example, he's a huge fan of yours and I highly doubt that it's because of your looks.**

Adrien actually laughed, feeling giddy and light. The thing was, she was right. His face reveal had only been a few months ago, but he had become Paris' #1 vlogging chef long before then.

**Now about what you said about Hawkmoth,**

Here it came. She would probably scold him about thinking so harshly about a man he hardly knew.

**I agree.**

Wait, what?

**I mean, I know what I supposedly "did wrong." I told fans of mine to never praise this girl because she was a bad person. Which she is! And Hawkmoth took that and twisted it into "she believes she has the right to shame everybody except herself."**

Adrien huffed, indignant on her sake.

**And you have done absolutely nothing wrong!**

He disagreed with that. It may have sounded dumb, but he couldn't help but feel hurt that he had accidentally insulted his father's brand.

**And no, giving brands and food criticism because they're not "practical" or whatever does not count as doing something wrong.**

How could she do that?

Was she a mind reader?

**It means that you're doing your job. You tell people "don't use this brand" because you know that the people who would use that brand wouldn't be happy with the end result. It's the same reason why I tell people not to use certain sites for helping in their writing. Not everyone will like it, but that's what we have to do.**

**Contrary to what people believe, being a celebrity isn't all fun and games.**

Adrien couldn't stop grinning.

**A brainstorming session Wednesday sounds really nice. I'll have to start thinking of some ideas. I have the start of one, but it's certainly in progress. I'll have to talk to Tikki about it.**

Adrien couldn't help but be curious as to what her semi-plan was.

**I'm excited to see what you'll come up with as well!**

Right, he'll have to come up with some ideas. He wondered if Plagg would help him come up with any ideas.

**I'm sorry to hear about the comments on your vlog. At least it's only my email that's getting bombarded and I don't have to worry about vlogs, Instagram, etc.**

Oh right, Instagram. Adrien hadn't checked his account yet. And come to think of it, that was the easiest way to reach him. Oh boy, he didn't even want to imagine the number of notifications he would've gotten if he hadn't turned them off.

**I'm glad that Plagg is helping you. Tikki doesn't have access to my email so I'm afraid I'm all on my own for damage control. Hopefully she doesn't have to do much damage control on her account either.**

Adrien hadn't thought about that. Plagg and Tikki may not have been as popular as Ladybug and Chat Noir, but their close connections to them could leave them vulnerable. He hoped that Plagg wasn't going through too much.

**On a happier note, I have some spare time right now, so I'm designing the outfit I'll be meeting you in!**

Adrien smiled. He hadn't realized she designed, but he had heard that the main character of one of her books was a fashion designer, so that made sense. Blending two passions into one was clever, but he highly doubted that he would be able to do it with detective work and cooking.

**I'm super excited to meet you Chat Noir!**

**-Ladybug.**

Adrien hurriedly started to reply back.

**From: chatnoir.official@miraculous.com**

**Replying To: luckyladybug@miaculous.com**

**RE: Hawkmoth**

**Hey Ladybug! Thank you for what you said about my fans. That meant a lot to me.**

He was a stranger after all, and here she was trying her best to make him feel better.

**I'm intrigued to hear about this start of an idea you have. I'll have to come up with some other ideas too! Maybe something that could combine both of our strengths? I'm not sure. We also should wait and see about if Hawkmoth is going to make a reappearance, maybe this was only a one time thing?**

Adrien doubted it, but there was no reason to be ever more negative. Their situation was sucky enough as it is. He knew that this wasn't another tabloid. Just another tabloid wouldn't be mainstream news. Just another tabloid wouldn't make all of his social media fill up with hate.

**I mean, if all he wanted to do was to create drama and spread rumors then he certainly succeeded.**

**I didn't realize that you design! That's so cool! I could never be that creative to come up with my own clothing ideas. I'm good with culinary arts not art-art.**

Art-art? What was he saying? He hoped she wouldn't think he was lame.

**There's a difference after all.**

**I'm glad you agree with me about Hawkmoth. I do believe that he really was just trying to stir up trouble, so perhaps he'll stop? Thanks for saying I haven't done anything wrong. I really try to be light on my criticisms, but... well if you watched my last video I kinda got carried away. I made too many jokes when I was insulting this one brand. The Agreste brand, perhaps you've heard of it? Anyway, I had thought it was fine back then, but now not so much.**

Adrien cringed just thinking about the abundance of cat puns he had used to ruin his father's good name. Thank goodness for his mask.

**You said that you had told your fans not to read someone's work because they're an awful person? Valid, very valid. I have a confession to make, I actually didn't watch your segment of the video. I wanted to! Well, maybe wanted to is the wrong phrasing. I thought it would be good to watch it to know what we're up against, but I was running late to my day job so I haven't gotten around to it. Anyway, the fact that he twisted you warning your readers not to support a bad person into you yourself being a bad person is just....**

Adrien tried to think of the word that could describe how he was feeling, but always came up short.

**I have no words.**

**As far as Tikki and Plagg doing damage control, I didn't even think about that! I should probably reach out to him. I really hope he won't have to deal with hate because of something so out of his control.**

**After all, even if Hawkmoth had a real motive, it would have to be my fault. Even if that motive is something outrageous, it's still a motive and something I caused. Plagg doesn't deserve that. He can't control me or Hawkmoth.**

**On a happier note, since our meeting is rather late, would you maybe want some midnight snacks? That way I could prepare and show you what I'm made of.**

Adrien smiled imagining him and a faceless girl dressed in red and black cooking in the studio.

**Hope to hear from you soon!**

**-Chat Noir**

Adrien sent that email off and typed up another one to Plagg.

**To: plagg.kwami@miraculous.com**

**From: chatnoir.official@miraculous.com**

**RE: Damage Control**

**Hey Plagg, so I reached out to Ladybug and she said that you and Tikki could be dealing with hate yourself because of this whole damage control. Are you okay? You know I'm always here to help!**

**-Adrien**

A few minutes after sending the email, he got a response from Ladybug.

**From: luckyladybug@miraculous.com**

**Replying To: chatnoir.official@miraculous.com**

**RE: Hawkmoth**

**I think your concern for your agent is really sweet, Chat. Not everyone would be so caring. But, believe me when I say that it's not your fault. It's Hawkmoth's! He's the one who's causing all of this, so he's to blame. Not you, not me, just him.**

**I really hope that you're right that Hawkmoth was a one-and-done type deal. Maybe he was j** **ust some cranky rich geezer who thought we don't deserve our hard earned fame. Or maybe he's psychotic.**

That comment earned a laugh from Adrien.

**Either way, maybe now that he's caused us to go into a frenzy, he'll stop? Or even if he doesn't, he'll have to save up a ton of money to get a spot on the mainstream news again. Especially if he wants to turn a precious segment into a gossip channel.**

Adrien snorted. He knew first hand how strict and expensive the media was when it came to mainstream news segments. How Hawkmoth got on a mainstream segment, he'll never know.

**I want to thank you for your support. I know that Hawkmoth turning me into a villain because I thought poorly of someone is insane, but I can't help but feel guilty. Like maybe if I hadn't snapped at her then we wouldn't be in this mess.**

Adrien frowned. He might've only started talking to Ladybug today, but he didn't like the fact she felt so insecure and he wanted to make her feel better.

**On a more positive note, yes I do in fact design! I honestly couldn't choose between my passion for writing and my passion for designing if I tried. There's just something so satisfying about finally completing a project you've worked so hard on for so long. Creating something from scratch and then actually achieving the end goal? There's nothing like it.**

Adrien couldn't help but to agree with her. Whenever he created a new successful recipe he felt a pride that nothing could reciprocate.

**Now, I hate to cut our conversation short. I've really enjoyed talking with you and planning out what we're going to do about this Hawkmoth situation. However, my friend just got off of work and we're going to go shopping and I'll probably not be able to reply to any emails until tomorrow. Thanks again for reaching out to me, it means more than you could ever know.**

**-Ladybug**

Adrien sighed content with the progress he had made with Ladybug today. They had gone from strangers who had been trusted into this situation with no warning, to acquaintances and he hoped that by next Wednesday, he'd be able to consider her a friend too.

He was smiling the whole time he typed out his reply.

**From: chatnoir.official@miraculous.com**

**Replying To: luckyladybug@miraculous.com**

**RE: Hawkmoth**

**Hey Ladybug. I want to start out by quoting you "Not you not me, just him." You said that Hawkmoth is the one to blame and you're right! This is absolutely not your fault! Getting emotional and passionate doesn't make you a bad person, it makes you human.**

Adrien hoped that she would feel a bit better after reading that.

**We all make mistakes and we learn from them and get through the consequences together. Either this is Hawkmoth's fault or we're both to blame. But, we have each other and we'll stand by each other even as Hawkmoth bashes us because we actually have human empathy that's more than the size of a peanut and can tell that negative emotions don't make you a bad person!**

**Everyone makes mistakes, and I believe that making mistakes help build our character. Our reaction to our mistakes, our moral compass. That makes us who we are. Anyone can put on a mask, but it's whether we use them for good or for worse that defines the person underneath them.**

**I might have only met you today, but I can tell that you're a good person. You made one mistake, said the wrong thing at the wrong time to the wrong person. That doesn't mean that you deserve this. Neither of us deserve to have our names dragged through the mud like this!**

**So don't worry okay? This isn't your fault and it isn't mine. Hawkmoth has probably been planning this for quite sometime and just thought that it would be a convenient opening. Us messing up doesn't make him any less of a terrible person. Trust me on this. Our mistakes does not mean that what Hawkmoth is doing is valid. And I will say that a million more times if I need to.**

**Just get that into your head, okay?**

**This isn't your fault. If Hawkmoth really has been lurking in the shadows all this time then, it was bound to happen eventually. This wasn't caused because of you. It was caused by a stuck-up man throwing a fit in his mom's basement because he lacks the human intelligence of that further than a six-year-old!**

Adrien hadn't meant to keep ranting about why this whole ordeal was Hawkmoth's fault, not Ladybug's, but his fingers just wouldn't stop typing!

**I didn't mean to turn this into a huge rant, but I felt like you needed to hear it. So, whenever you feel like you need some encouragement that this isn't because of you, then just read this email, okay?**

**I hope you and your friend have a ton of fun on your shopping trip!**

**I expect a full report tomorrow!**

He could say that, right? Adrien wanted to talk with her again, so he gave her an opening!

**Hope to hear from you soon!**

**-Chat Noir**

Sending off his final email for the day, Adrien turned back to his vlog, hoping to get some damage control done before he was expected to film his video confronting Hawkmoth. 


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chat Noir's response.

**Chapter Nine**

The studio was dead silent as Adrien, or Chat Noir if the apron he was donning meant anything, walked in. The business shoes he was wearing echoed across the tile and through the halls as he walked. As if the entire building was taking a moment of silence for his now-plummeting career. 

"There you are Chat!" Plagg walked towards him briskly. "Come on, the film crew is waiting for us."

"I'm not late am I?" Chat Noir asked. It had been a slow day at the office, only picking up when Ladybug started to email him. 

"No, but the crew has been here for the past hour, everyone's anxious about what you're going to say." Chat Noir sighed. 

He knew he should've expected it, most of the crew depended on his paycheck, seeing as he was the one paying him. If people stopped buying his merchandise and watching his videos, then it wouldn't go well for all of his crew. He might end up having to go back to filming his own videos, like he did in the beginning. 

"You do know what you're going to say, right kid?" Plagg's voice sent him back to reality.

"Of course I know what I'm going to say!" He had spent the hours in his office that was supposed to be for him to work on detective-related things looking over, revising, and memorizing his script. 

"Good. You made sure that you aren't putting the blame on your viewers? Or that you're not attacking Hawkmoth ruthlessly? Both case could be-"

"Used against me. Yeah, yeah. I know. I'm not a novice, I've been doing this gig for several years now, Plagg." Plagg lifted his hands up in surrender.

"I know that kid, but I'm just double checking. My ability to splurge on camembert depends on your paycheck." Plagg told him. "If you lose your fans, I lose my best client and my cheesy delicacy."

"Oh, what a shame." Chat Noir remarked sarcastically.

"It is a shame. Make sure that it doesn't happen." Plagg told him.

"I'll try my best." Chat promised.

"Good. Everyone is holding their breath, making sure that your aren't going to say anything stupid."

"I know, Plagg."

"I hope that I don't need to remind you what happens if your popularity goes down too much."

"No, I know very well what's going to happen." He would lose the studio first and foremost, then his crew would probably have to quit and find jobs elsewhere because if Chat Noir wasn't making any money, neither were they. He would be back to where he started, with his only income being detective work. Just enough to pay for an apartment and Plagg and maybe a camera. It'd be a disaster.

"Good, we're all counting on you kid."

"I know that Plagg, trust me." If he couldn't pull this off, not only would he be affected, but the people who worked for him. They would lose their jobs themselves and he would lose his freedom.

What kind of man would do that to a person? He didn't know. He didn't want to know.

Oh well, at least he had Ladybug on his side. She'd be here next Wednesday, that's all he had to wait. A week. Seven days. He could do that. After all, he had waited 18 years before he got his first taste of freedom. He could wait a week to try and save that freedom.

"We believe in you, you know." Chat Noir glanced over at Plagg in shock. It wasn't often his agent shared an ounce of affection. "Ah, don't give me that look!" The man said, crossing his arms. "You're a kid, we've all been stuck with you since the beginning. If a nobody can sweep this country by storm like you did, then you can pull yourself out of this stump." Chat Noir gave Plagg an appreciative look.

"Thanks Plagg, that means a lot."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. Don't get used to it." Chat chuckled.

"Alright Plagg. Thanks."

"Ah, whatever it's nothing. You're my best client, if you fail, I've failed. So don't fail."

"Okay Plagg."

They had reached the end of the hallway and stood in front of the studio door. Chat Noir took a deep breath, trying to calm his nerves. 

"Don't worry, Adrien." Plagg muttered. "Hawkmoth will regret messing with you and Ladybug." Chat nodded.

"Yeah, you're right." And with that, Chat Noir pushed the door open and walked into the studio.

The crew's chattering fell silent as Chat Noir walked from behind the scenes to the deluxe kitchen that was stationed. He took a deep breath as he took his spot behind the counter, put his bag down, and faced the bright lights shining on him. It was hard to make out the crew's faces in the shadows.

"Hello everyone." He addressed the room. "I'm sure all of you know why we're here." He gulped as silence met him. "I implore you all not to worry. It was only a matter of time before my name was dragged through the mud. That's just one of the side-effects of this celebrity life that I've chosen. I'm sure that soon all this ruckus with Hawkmoth will die down." Chat Noir hesitated, rethinking his speech that he had prepared for his crew. "However, if it doesn't I just want to say that I'm sorry. We all know the consequences if I become unpopular with the mass public. I never wanted that. You guys are the best crew I've ever had and you will always be." He said, smiling at the shadows. "But, we're not there yet, so let's not worry unnecessarily, okay?" Chat Noir clapped his hands together and grinned. "Now, let's make a video!" He cheered. The crew rang out affirmatives and got to work. 

Chat Noir ran through the speech in his head again, making sure that everything was perfect and reviewed the main points that he wanted to address. Hopefully, this video would help with damage control. And even if it didn't it would show both him and Ladybug how serious of a threat Hawkmoth was to them. Hopefully, this would do more of the former than the latter.

"Alright, we're ready to film. You ready Chat Noir?" His director called out. 

Stomping on the butterflies in his stomach, he nodded.

"Five, four, three," His director started counting down. Chat took a deep breath in. "Two, one, action."

Chat Noir starred in the camera and smiled softly, imagining what he always did, Nino and his father watching his videos and being proud of him, but now another face appeared in his motivational image. A faceless girl he knew as Ladybug.

"Hello to all my viewers." He sighed. "As you can see," Chat gestured to the counter that only had his bag on it, different from the norm, when the counter was filled with all sorts of ingredients and dishes. "This isn't a typical video. I'm sure many of you, if not all saw Hawkmoth's news casting." He breathed out and went over what he wanted to do.

Step One: Apologize.

"This is for Hawkmoth. I don't know what I did to make you want my head on a platter, but whatever it is, I'm sorry." He wasn't faking the sincerity in his voice. He tried so hard to not offend anyone, to keep his videos a fun, exclusive space, but he had managed to screw that up. "I didn't mean to offend you or to make you mad. I hope that whatever I did, I can fix and that I can make things right."

Step Two: Address.

"Many of you have questions and all of them are valid. Why do I hide behind a mask? Why not use my real face? Am I really trustworthy? I understand all of your concerns. I'd be concerned too, but please believe me when I say this mask is necessary."

Step Three: Answer.

"I don't want to go into details, but my entire life has been controlled by others, not by me. When I turned 18, I was able to taste a bit of freedom for the first time in my entire life. I got to become Chat Noir and with this camera," He pulled an average hand-held camera out of his bag. "I filmed my first video, angled so it only showed my hands, then I sent it.

"I had heard of the Miraculous company from my father many, many times and had known then that's the company I wanted to go to to help build my channel." He pulled out a framed paper. 

"This paper was the first email I had ever received from my agent and kwami, Plagg." He chuckled a bit.

"I still remember running around my apartment, squealing like a fourteen-year-old girl, because finally, my dreams were coming true.

"But, that dream has limitations, even though I'm now 23, my father still plays a huge role in my life. He has always disproved of anyone who chooses to associate themselves with the Miraculous company, and he hates all celebrities. He claims they do no good and they're so stuck-up and he told me that if I were to ever become a celebrity he would've failed as a father. " Chat Noir exhaled a shaky breath, here came the hard part.

"He's the only family I have left and his opinion means a lot to me. If he knew that I was Chat Noir, he'd most likely disown me, shut me out of his life and I'd lose all my family." There. He did it.

"So, I hope that puts the mask into more of a perspective."

Step Four: Promise.

"I promise you, I will reveal who I am underneath this mask one day. Once I'm ready. You all have made my dream come true and you deserve to know who's behind this mask, but I'm not prepared for my face to be out there quite yet. I hope everyone can respect that."

Step Five: Reassure.

"But, I hope everyone can be satisfied with knowledge that when I'm behind this camera, I'm free to let my true personality show. My father would never allow me to make terrible cat-puns and be loud and expressive. He would've wanted me to be silent, speak when spoken to, don't let your emotions get out of hand. So while I might hide behind a literal mask when I'm on the screen, the true mask that I wear is when I'm not in a black apron. That's one of the reasons being famous was so shocking to me. It was something that had only happened in my wildest dreams. Being able to change the world while being myself was an idea that my father would've never wanted to hear. But, you guys have changed all that."

Step Six: Compliment

"Without everyone who has supported me I never would've made it this far. I never would've realized how amazing finally doing what you want with your life could be." He pulled another item out of his bag. "This trophy was a gag gift I had seen and bought in celebration of getting 100 views." It was a small, golden plastic, star trophy with the words 'good job!' printed on the plaque. "And now I get millions on every video and that blows my mind every time. I may not know you, but I appreciate every view, every like, every comment. Any time someone interacts with my video it brightens up my day. To know that people are out there and actually enjoy the things I want to do, not the things I need to do." 

Step Seven: Encourage. 

"That's why I've tried so hard these past five years to make this a hate-free space for everyone. Every child who feels unloved, your comment makes my day. Every adult who's in a dead-end job and goes home to a lonely apartment, your like brings a smile to my face everyday. You all are doing something worthwhile, even if it doesn't seem like it. You're helping a small child who thought he would never be able to escape his father's grasp live out his dream. And you can too! Anyone who's watching this, you can go out and live your dream! If I can do it, you can too, I know you can!

"Even if it seems impossible, it's not. All you have to do is believe in yourself and never give up! People out there will support you even if you think they won't. There will always be someone who will put their faith in you and who wants you to succeed, even if that person is a stranger who dresses up in a black masquerade mask and tells cat puns. I believe in all of you to go out and live your dreams!

"Don't be discouraged when haters pop-up because people will have your back! You have supporters whether that comes in the form of a friend, a family member, or a fan. People out there want to see you live the best life you can.

"And maybe you'll mess up. I've messed up plenty!"

Step Eight: Admit.

"Because now, I've got a masked reporter saying not to support me because I wear a mask. Ironic, huh? But, that doesn't make whatever I've done right. I've done something to hurt someone, even though that was never my intention. All I've wanted to do, all I've ever wanted to do, is to travel the world, cook, and leave my mark. And that mark that I want leave is not someone who's untrustworthy. I want that mark to be someone who cared about his fans. Someone who came from practically nothing and became huge! And smile through it all, even as people tried to drag him down. 

"I've been getting that because of everyone here and I'm so grateful. So, would you really think that I'd drag my name that I've tried so hard to build through the mud by doing something like going to an underground club? I wouldn't ever want to do anything to destroy my legacy.

" I've got a legacy now! I never had that before, and it's all thanks to you! My viewers and my fans. Who has seen how weird I am and still like my content! Who have given me the hope that even when the world seems against you, it's not, because even someone like me can become someone who has encouraged millions."

Step Nine: Blame

Here came the tricky part. Chat Noir couldn’t just point fingers at Hawkmoth without defending himself first. It might have only been one broadcasting, but Chat Noir could tell that Hawkmoth was clever and that if Chat Noir defended himself, then there would be hell to pay. Hopefully this wouldn't go overboard.

"But Hawkmoth wants to take that away. He wants to shape my legacy into something that no-one wants to touch. I understand that I did something wrong and I own up to that. I'm not perfect, I'm human. But, my videos and this space has helped brighten up so many days, has given a poor child who thought he'd always be nothing to everyone around him a chance to see how special he is. Hawkmoth showed Paris my merch sales. I earned that popularity by encouraging people, by making them laugh.

"And if he's someone who's shaming you for having a sweatshirt based off of me? Saying that's worship? Well, I think that's a little insane. By that knowledge every poster, every t-shirt, every figurine, every stuffed animal, you've ever gotten of a character whether fictional or real is worship. That doesn't add up, does it? 

"And as for those people who've gotten life-sized statues of me, how does Hawkmoth know those are actually being used for worship? They could've been gag gifts, they could've been something the Miraculous company bought when I became one of their biggest clients and they've had some pretty amazing clients before, they could've been an assortment of things! And if they are used for worship, who is he to judge you?" 

Finally, Step Ten: Bring it Together.

"Don't let him take away my dream. Don't let him take away this space that has encouraged so many people, to the point where they'll make statues of me! Don't let him take this space away where many people have found friends, laughter, and hope. I see the comments you leave on my videos, I hear stories about how people meet their friends because they both like my videos!

"Are we really going to let this man take away a space we have all contributed too? I certainly hope not. I hope that we can all continue to dream, laugh, and hope together. Because that's what Hawkmoth is trying to destroy, but I won't let him! I won't let him take away this space from us!

"But I'll need your help to do that. Every comment, like, and view helps! Let's make this video so popular, it might've well aired over national news! Let's let Hawkmoth know that we aren't going down without a fight.

"That we're dreamers! Hoping that we can all amount to something! That even if it seems hopeless now, we can all create a legacy and leave our marks on the world!

"Let's let Hawkmoth know that! That we laugh together and create memories together! That we will always be here to support even the smallest creator! That even if someone hides behind a mask because they don't want to lose their family, that they can succeed! 

"Let's let Hawkmoth know that what matters is not the name they go by, nor what they look like, but how good their heart is. Knowing my name and what my face looks like, won't change my personality. 

"Hawkmoth might say that I'm an 'unknown' and therefore untrustworthy, but knowing the name that I was born with and what the bridge of my nose looks like, won't change who I am on the inside. Anyone who has a bit of sense can tell you that.

"Hawkmoth wants to spread fear and stop dreams, but I'm not going to let him! I'm not going to let him take my dream away from me and I hope you won't let him take your dreams away from you either.

"My name is Chat Noir and I'm a dreamer and that will never change, no matter what Hawkmoth throws at me." 

Silence. That's what he was met with and then-

Applause. 

People were cheering! For him! He caught Plagg's eye and he nodded, adding to the applause of his crew.

"People would be crazy not to support you now!" His director hooted walking over to where he was. Chat Noir let out a weak chuckle.

"Thanks."

"That was a risky move, putting the truth about your mask out there, kid." Plagg told him.

"I know." He said. Plagg smiled, actually smiled.

"It'll pay off, the crowd loves a dreamer with a sob-story." He remarked.

"I didn't tell them the reason I wear a mask is because I wanted to shape an image, Plagg." Chat crossed his arms, indignant. "They deserve to know the truth." Plagg nodded his approval.

"Good kid, I'm proud of you. This will help with damage control for sure." 

"Good, I'm glad. I don't want anybody to lose their job because I did something wrong." Plagg huffed. 

"'Did something wrong' you haven't done anything wrong!"

"But what else could've warranted Hawkmoth's approach?" He asked.

"Some people are just bitter with people who have fame." Plagg commented. "Now, come on kid. Let's get out of here and paint the town red."

"Okay Plagg." Chat said, knowing that it was better to not put up a fight where his agent was concerned. 

"Oh! Will we be meeting next Wednesday as well?" His director asked.

"Uh, no, that won't be needed." Chat said quickly. 

"What? You made me book the studio twice, but you won't be filming on Wednesday?" Plagg asked. "What are you planning?" He narrowed his eyes.

"I'll tell you in the car." Chat said through gritted teeth. He wanted to keep his and Ladybug's meetups as secret as possible, at least, until they figured out what they were going to do. If that would even be necessary now. 

No, it would be. Even if Chat was able to get out of this mess, Ladybug wouldn't be able to unless he helped her.

"Alright kid, but like I told earlier, I better not regret it."

"And as  _ I  _ told you earlier, you won't." Plagg huffed.

"Let me be the judge of that." Chat Noir rolled his eyes.

"Whatever you say Plagg."

"Now, let's go get something to eat! I'm starving! And they better have camembert there!" Plagg said as they excited the studio.

"Alright Plagg."

"Hey, can I get a ride with you?" Chat gave him an odd look.

"How'd you get here?"

"Caught a ride with a friend, now can I ride with you or not?" He said.

"Yeah, okay." Chat walked into the bathroom to go and take off his outfit.

A moment later he walked out as plain old Adrien Agreste again.

"You couldn't have waited until we were in the car? What if someone saw us talking?" Adrien shrugged.

"Who's gonna see us? The crew is back in the studio cleaning up and anyone else won't know who you are. Besides, if someone saw me as Chat Noir getting into my car even more of my private information would be online. What if someone followed that car?" 

"You've got a point kid. You've got a point."

"You really should trust me more." Plagg scoffed.

"I trust you plenty!" He said.

"Yeah-huh, sure." Adrien got out his phone.

"Who ya talking too?" Plagg asked. Adrien saw no reason to be dishonest.

"Ladybug." He told him.

"Woah, wait, really?" Plagg asked.

"Yep. I reached out to her this morning."

"Adrien, I thought we agreed that she needs to fight her own battles." 

"And how is she supposed to do that if she only has an email? I'm letting her do the work, I just want to provide with the materials necessary."

"Wait a second, is this why you wanted me to book the studio for next Wednesday?" Plagg asked, incredulously.

"Uhhh, maybe?" Adrien offered him and grinned way. Plagg groaned and rubbed his temples.

"You better know what you're doing." He told him.

"I do! I do! I swear!" He said. Plagg huffed. 

"I certainly hope so. Now, come on. I want baked camembert." 

"What's your deal with camembert anyway?" Adrien asked. He couldn't understand how anyone could even stomach the cheese, much less adore it like Plagg did.

"Uh, it's gooey and delicious. Why do I have to have a deal with it?"

"Because your level of obsession for the cheese is inhuman."

"You're just small-minded." Plagg retorted. 

"If by small-minded you mean actually have taste." Plagg let out a long gasp.

"You take that back!" He said, pointing an accusatory finger at the boy. 

"No." Adrien grinned and started walking to his car, whistling a happy tune just to make Plagg even more mad. 

"I can believe this! You're a chef, Adrien. You of all people should know what a delicacy camembert cheese is!" Plagg argued. Adrien wrinkled his nose.

"Just because I know that it's a so-called 'delicacy' doesn't mean I agree with it being a delicacy. How it got its status as fancy is beyond me." Adrien told him. Plagg muttered unhappily about how he "just didn't understand" and Adrien felt a wide smile come over his face.

He really did enjoy arguing with Plagg, he knew that it was all friendly. It was just the type of relationship that the two of them had. He was very grateful that even if his agent seemed rather stoic, he really did care about Adrien. One of the few people that cared about the Adrien side of him.

He shook that thought out of his head. 

He had a huge fan base now and could be who he wanted without having to worry about his father. He only had to worry about Hawkmoth, great. 

Oh well, hopefully his video would do some damage control and if his crew's reaction was anything to go by, it would help. 

"I'm driving." Plagg piped up. Adrien looked at him, jaw-dropped. "What?" Plagg asked.

"It's my car!" Adrien exclaimed.

"So? I'm still driving."

"But-"

"Do you know where the cafe is?" Plagg asked him.

"Well, no, but-"

"No buts, give me the keys. I'm driving." Adrien grumbled as he fished his keys out of his pocket. "Thank you."

Oh well, at least now he could email Ladybug while Plagg was taking him who-knows-where. Somewhere with cheese apparently. 

Adrien pulled out his phone as he got in the front seat.

**To: luckyladybug@miraculous.com**

**From: chatnoir.official@miraculous.com**

**RE: Video**

**Hey Ladybug!**

"You emailing Ladybug?" Plagg asked him, reaching over and reading his phone screen.

"Plagg!" Adrien protested. 

"What?" He asked, flashing him a toothy grin. 

"Eyes on the road!" He told him.

"I'm not driving yet." Plagg told him.

"Oh I better not die."

"You're not gonna die, trust me Adrien." The chef shook his head. The car engine rumbled and he returned to his email, praying that Plagg wouldn't kill them both.

**I just finished filming my video and now Plagg and I are heading to, well, I actually don't know where we're heading.**

"Where are we going, anyway?" Adrien asked. 

"It's a surprise." Plagg answered him.

"That doesn't answer my question." Adrien said.

"Well, I don't want to answer your question right now." Adrien shook his head and returned to his phone.

**Plagg says that it's a 'surprise'. Let's hope he actually has somewhere in mind or else I'm never trusting him with my car ever again. Anyway, my crew had a really positive reaction to everything I said. It was definitely the most personal video I've ever filmed. I had never planned on spilling my guts like that, but I guess with the celebrity name that's the life I signed myself up for.**

**Not that I'm ungrateful! This is everything I've ever wanted, because, well I guess if you're going to watch the video you'll see. Hopefully this will take care of a lot of the problems I've been having and then we can focus on helping you! I hope that shopping with your friend is going well! You'll be able to tell me all about it on Wednesday!**

**I'm not exactly sure when the video will be up. I don't edit my own videos, as you probably know if you watch them because I give everyone credit at the end. So, whenever my editor will be done and she'll upload it and then it'll be out for Paris to watch. It's definitely something I never thought I would film.**

**I was super nervous to film it too. Normally, I wouldn't worry too much about my comments because if they're negative the negativity is because of something I did, but now every word I said will be watched by millions and really taken to heart not just cause laughter like they normally do. Hopefully, I didn't screw it up too badly. We'll see if Hawkmoth has anything to say about my video. I really hope it was more of a one and done thing with him, but we'll see if we get that lucky.**

**I really hope that you can give me your commentary about what you thought about what I said. It took me a long time with so many corrections. It was like those scenes in the movies where the main character is buried in paper. That was me, only I didn't use paper. That would've made a mess of my office and I'm pretty sure my business partner would've killed me if he saw that. Or he would start a snowball fight with the paper, that sounds like something he would do.**

**Anyway, I just wanted to give you an update! I hope that I can hear from you soon!**

**-Chat Noir**

He sent the email off. 

"Done already?" Plagg mused.

"Yep, I just wanted to give her an update about what's happening."

"You really want to be her knight in shining armor, don't you?" Plagg smirked. Adrien gave him a deadpan look.

"No, I'm trying to help her get out of a problem we've been thrown in, what's wrong with trying to make the best of a situation we've been thrown in together?" Adrien retorted.

"Nothing at all kid." Plagg told him. Adrien trained his eyes on the road, people watching as they walked by laughing, shopping, talking. 

"You do know where we're going right?" Adrien asked after about ten minutes.

"Of course I do! There's a cafe up ahead that makes the best camembert tarts you've ever tasted." Adrien wrinkled his nose.

"Again, I don't care for camembert."

"Well, too bad. I'm the one driving." Plagg retorted. Adrien sighed, shaking his head at his agent.

"Whatever Plagg." 

"They have pretty good croissants too." Plagg told him. Adrien perked up.

"They do?"

"Yep."

"Have I been there before?" Adrien asked.

"I don't know. Not with me, you're about to get the full-on Plagg experience." 

"Oh goody." Adrien said sarcastically.

"Don't think that I didn't hear the sarcasm in your voice." Plagg told him.

"That's the entire point of sarcasm." Adrien said.

"Boy, I practically invented sarcasm." Adrien lifted an eyebrow.

"You don't look that old." He told him.

"Why thank you, kid." Adrien shook his head, of course he would take it as a compliment.

"When do you think the video will be up?" Adrien asked, changing the subject. 

"Soon. It barely needed any editing, trust me. You look very passionate, which is a very good look for the cameras." Plagg told him.

"Again, I didn't do it for the camera, I did it for my fans. They deserve to know the truth about why I hide behind a mask, and hopefully it'll guilt trip Hawkmoth into not attacking me."

"And if it doesn't you'll now be the victim so we can play that angle."

"Seriously? I don't want this to be about 'angles' or my 'image' I want this to be about Hawkmoth stopping, me fixing whatever I did wrong, and help my fans to know who they support, even if I can't give them my first name."

"Did you really mean it when you said you'd reveal your identity?" Plagg asked. 

"Of course I did." Adrien said, his voice filled with steely determination.

His phone buzzed.

_ "Chat Noir's New Video Will Blow Your Socks Off!"  _ The news app on his phone read.

Well, his video was up.

There was no going back now. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm actually really proud of Chat Noir's speech. I didn't really know what I was doing there, but I think it turned out pretty good!


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marinette sees Chat Noir's video and emails him. Then gets a call from Alya.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, I am finally updating, yay! Chapters are going to be shorter from here on out because this book is going to get up to over seventy chapters and it's a lot of reading to do.

Chat Noir was a lot different than what Marinette had expected. Before this whole ordeal she had thought he'd be cocky and have this huge ego due to the amount of fangirls he had, but he seemed very dorky and even shy at times. It was an unexpected surprise that Marinette had welcomed with open arms. She was still a little nervous about Wednesday, but not nearly as much as when she had first seen his email asking to meet. 

Marinette yawned as she continued to sketch. It was late and she knew that she had work in the morning and needed to get to bed, but she had a burst of inspiration for designing her outfit that she would wear when meeting Chat Noir. It obviously had to be Ladybug themed and something that she could move around in easily, but anything else was up in the air. She was aiming for something in between casual and formal. Something that would tell him that this was important to her, but nothing that would make her feel overdressed. 

She was torn between a summer dress and leggings or a sleeveless top with pants. It would have to depend on the weather and which designs she felt were her favorite. So far she was rooting for the dress, at least for the first meeting. She could always make the other one later. 

Her phone buzzed, interrupting her mid-sketch. She glanced at the notifications to see that there was a new email from Chat Noir and several new messages from Alya. Marinette checked the texts from Alya first.

**Alya: OMG HAVE YOU SEEN IT????????????????**

**Marinette: Seen what??**

**Alya: CHAT NOIR’S NEW VIDEO!!!!**

He posted a new video? She thought that she had turned on her notifications for when he updated, but apparently not. She went to his vlog page and sure enough a video titled “Addressing Hawkmoth” was up. 

**Marinette: I’ve been designing, have you seen it yet?**

**Alya: Of course I’ve seen it!**

**Alya: I feel so bad for him**

**Alya: He really doesn’t deserve any of this**

Marinette couldn’t help but agree. Chat Noir may have a tendency for bad puns and tons of fangirls, but Marinette knew better to judge him now. He was a good person, not egotistical at all. Fame had found him, not the other way around. She felt incredibly guilty for judging him before she really got to know him.

**Marinette: No, he doesn’t**

**Alya: Who does Hawkmoth think he is?**

**Marinette: Someone who thinks he can control others' lives**

**Alya: You know Chat had a really good point, Hawkmoth claims to not trust them to wear masks when he wears one himself**

**Marinette: Dramatic irony maybe?**

**Alya: I think he’s just stupid**

**Marinette: XD**

**Alya: I wish authorities were doing something about this**

**Marinette: Like what? Unless Hawkmoth did something illegal, then there’s nothing we can do**

**Alya: It’s still not fair**

**Marinette: Unfortunately, I don’t think that’ll hold up in court**

**Alya: Too bad**

**Alya: I’d take Hawkmoth to court**

Marinette smiled. 

**Marinette: I’ll help**

**Alya: Thank you, but we’ve gotta figure out who he is first**

**Marinette: Yeah… any ideas?**

Maybe she could talk to Chat about it on Wednesday. If Hawkmoth was going to go on air again, then she would try to find him. 

**Alya: Maybe I could talk to Nino about it**

**Marinette: Maybe, but he may have cases too**

**Alya: Yeah, you’re right**

**Alya: Now, I know you may be busy with your designs but…**

**Alya: GO WATCH THE VIDEO**

Marinette chuckled and shook her head.

**Marinette: Okay okay I’m going!**

Marinette clicked on the video and opened up her mail app, pressing on Chat’s most recent email. She thought she could read his email while watching the video, but she soon learned that this was not the case.

 _“_ _I don't want to go into details, but my entire life has been controlled by others, not by me. When I turned 18, I was able to taste a bit of freedom for the first time in my entire life.”_ The words made Marinette look away from the email as the one screen Chat Noir pulled out a small camera. 

Her heart broke as Chat explained his family situation. What type of father would make a child feel so unloved that they had to hide behind a mask to achieve his dream? Even though he’s over 18?

She smiled softly as he promised his fans to reveal his identity one day. She hoped that one day she could come forward as Ladybug. She didn’t exactly have a good reason, although Hawkmoth had given her an excuse. 

As Chat Noir started to talk about the community that he had been gifted with and how lucky he was Marinette felt pride rise up in her. He had handled this extremely well. He was making sure that everyone knew that he cared about them. That he had never intended to make Hawkmoth angry and would never do anything to sacrifice them.

She couldn’t help the grin that broke out over her face as he started to target Hawkmoth. She let out a laugh as he said every piece of merch was a form of worship by Hawkmoth’s knowledge. And clapped as he defended the statues. 

As he finished up his speech talking about being dreamers and achieving them she grew silent, watching in awe as Chat claimed that he would fight for this space and his dream.

_"My name is Chat Noir and I'm a dreamer and that will never change, no matter what Hawkmoth throws at me."_

Marinette felt her breath leave her. 

“He’s amazing.” She whispered to herself. Had his green eyes always looked that electric? The video screen turned black and Marinette sat back in her seat in shock or maybe it was admiration.

Another video started to play, one of him teaching how to make a “Purrfect Meat Pie” as Marinette opened up her phone and mail app.

**To: chatnoir.official@miraculous.com**

**From: luckyladybug@miraculous.com**

**RE: Video**

**Oh. My. Gosh. I just watched your video. It’s outstanding. You’ve managed to paint Hawkmoth as the rightful villain and yourself as a victim by telling nothing but facts. I have to apologize though. Can I punch your father? I really want to. If he hasn’t realized how amazing you are, he will. I’m sorry about your mother, whatever happened to her. Be prepared for hugs (if you’re comfortable with that of course) and pastries on Wednesday. I talked with my best friend and she loved your video as well. It’s very inspiring to see you talk about dreams. Thank you for sharing your story with all of us. I hope that one day I could work up the courage to do so as well.**

**I’m curious to see if Hawkmoth is going to come back and try and save himself. He should know that you shouldn’t cross fangirls. My best friend is one and I’ve heard how loud her squeals get whenever the characters she ships get together or even have a moment.**

Marinette could recall her plugging her ears while Alya screeched because _“Charity and Alex just kissed!”_ for ten minutes. 

**She’s a bit crazy, but I love her anyway. She has supported too many of my crazy ideas when it comes with designing clothes and is always my model. Of course, she doesn’t know I’m Ladybug, nobody does. I don’t have as good as a reason as you do to hide, but Hawkmoth has given me one.**

Chat’s promise to his fans suddenly popped into her head. 

**Once this is all over, maybe it is already, I’m going to tell her I’m Ladybug. She is one of my biggest fans after all. It’s a bit odd, hearing your best friend geek out about you a lot.**

**Anyway, I’ve been designing a bit for what I’m going to wear on Wednesday and I was wondering if I could get your opinion on them?**

What better way to solve her dilemma then to just ask Chat what he thought.

**One’s a dress and leggings, the other is a sleeveless top with pants. I wasn’t exactly sure what was on the agenda, but I thought that maybe you could give me some help in deciding. I honestly love both of the designs the same, but I wasn’t sure if the dress would get in the way or not. They are both ladybug themed of course, I had never designed anything like this and it was actually a ton of fun!**

**So just get back to me when you can, I know it’s like super late and you’re probably in bed, but you know that feeling you get when you have an idea and can’t let it go? I got that tonight, so it’ll probably be another late night for me. I swear my blood is half coffee at this point.**

Her phone buzzed and she saw a notification from Alya pop up.

**I hope to hear from you soon!**

**-Ladybug**

**Alya: So….?**

**Marinette: Wow**

**Marinette: That’s all I can say. Is wow.**

**Alya: I know right!!!**

**Alya: Hey, can you call?**

**Marinette: Uh, yeah sure.**

_“Oh my gosh! Girl!”_ Was her greeting.

“I know. I feel so guilty!”

 _“I want to track down his father and punch him in the face.”_ Alya exclaimed. 

“Me too, Als.” Marinette said with a wry grin.

_“I mean seriously, what no-good person would despise the miraculous company so much they wouldn’t even accept their son? Shouldn’t he be happy that his son is successful?”_

“I know right!” Marinette cried. “I mean, if you’re going to make your child feel so afraid of what you’ll do for them literally just being themselves with a camera, then don’t have children.”

 _“Exactly! Parents should love their kids unconditionally and Chat hasn’t even done anything illegal! He’s literally done the exact opposite. He’s created a space where everyone can be themselves!”_ Alya ranted. 

“It’s very admirable. He really did risk it, telling everyone his family life like that.”

_“Well, unfortunately Mari, not everyone is going to believe him. Celebrities with less credit to their names have done a lot worse than lie about what their homelife looks like. If Hawkmoth comes back he may claim that Chat is making this all up.”_

“Well, that’s dumb.” Marinette scoffed.

_“I know, I agree, but that may happen.”_

“Well, even if Chat is lying, which he’s not, he still wasn’t wrong about how names change a personality. I mean, if I told you that I wanted to be called Bridgette, that wouldn’t make me an entirely different person, now would it?”

_“No! No matter what name you go by you’re still the same person!”_

“Hopefully, people will understand that.” Marinette sighed.

_“Well, we’ll see. People think up crazy things when they’re scared. Rational thought tends to go out the window.”_

“I know that Alya, but I just wish….” She trailed off.

_“I know girl, I wish too.”_

“People will be people.”

 _“People will be people.”_ Alya echoed.

“Okay! Enough about the depressing stuff, I want to hear everything about you and Nino! Have you been talking?” Marinette asked giddy, falling back on her chaise, which was well worn with love after years of her using it. 

_“Of course we’ve been talking girl! Who do you take me for?”_

“Well, what have you been talking about!”

 _“Mostly about the date. He’s so sweet Mari.”_ Alya sighed.

“So, you’ll get your fairy tale boyfriend after all?” Marinette teased.

_“Mari! This is only one date! Who knows if it’ll actually go that far?”_

“Well, you know I’m always a believer in true love.” 

_“Yet, you are still single.”_ Alya mused.

“Oh you be quiet. I’ve got enough between designing and Slice of Paradise” 

_‘And being Ladybug.’_ She thought. 

_“Just say the word girl and I’ll get you a boyfriend like”_ an audible snap came through the phone, _“that.”_ Marinette laughed.

“Thanks, but no thanks.”

_“Well maybe a girlfriend then? I don’t discriminate.”_

“No Alya.” Marinette rolled her eyes fondly. “I just don’t have time for a partner right now. I’ve got too many things to do.”

_“Aww, look at you being all responsible! It’s so cute!”_

“Alya…” Marinette said in a warning tone.

_“Alright, alright, just promise me that we’ll go clubbing sometime, okay?”_

“Seriously? Clubbing?”

_“What? We’re both over eighteen!”_

“You think Nino would be okay with his girlfriend and her best friend going clubbing?”

_“Alright one, I’m not Nino’s girlfriend. Two, do you not know what’s going on during most bachelors’ parties?”_

“Fair point.” Marinette relented. “Alright, maybe I’ll consider going clubbing with you-.”

_“Yes!”_

“But,” Marinette raised her voice. “No pressuring me to find some man to have. No matter if it’s a hookup or what, _no pressure._ ”

 _“I promise I won’t pressure you to do anything you don’t want to. What type of best friend would I be if I did that?”_ Alya reassured her. _“Besides, you’re still an amateur, I’ll be sure we start out with the safest clubs around. We don’t want you getting kidnapped, otherwise who would I sprout all my theories too?”_ She teased.

“Gee, thanks.” Marinette said sarcastically. 

_“No problem girl!”_

“Why do I feel like I’m going to regret this?”

_“You won’t be saying that once some super hot guy is all over you. In fact you’ll be wondering why you didn’t listen to me earlier.”_

“Yeah-huh. Sure.” Marinette said skeptically. 

_“I’m a hundred percent serious! Some of the guys at some clubs are wooo!”_ Marinette let out a laugh.

“Wow Alya, just wow.”

_“What? I’m not allowed to check out guys who are also checking out me?”_

“Just don’t describe them like that!” Marinette giggled.

_“What would you rather me describe them as? Beautiful otherworldly beings that have graced me with their presence?”_

“No Alya, not like that either.”

_“Aw, boo, you’re not fun.”_

“I’ve just heard you rant about beautiful boys and girls far too many times.” Marinette teased.

_“Don’t blame me! Blame their genetics!”_

“Most of them are fictional, Alya.”

_“Oh, like you’ve never had a fictional crush before.”_

“At least I haven’t ranted about them for twenty minutes straight before.”

_“You don’t need to be jealous of my fangirling skills, Mari, I can teach you.”_

“Um yeah, thanks no thanks.”

_“Alright, but mark my words one day their will be a piece of media out there that will make you turn over to the dark side.”_

“The dark side?” Marinette repeated.

 _“Being a fangirl isn’t easy Marinette, but it’s a life that has found me and I have accepted.”_ Alya claimed dramatically.

“Right.” Marinette drew out the “i”.

 _“I’m serious! Don’t think I haven’t seen you squeal when the movie trailer for Capsize came out.”_ Marinette’s face flushed.

She was right of course, but she was still in disbelief that one of her books had turned into a blockbuster that had grossed millions at the box office. 

Marinette was incredibly thankful that her bank was so trusting because to anyone else, it would’ve looked very suspicious that a waitress was filthy rich. 

“Okay, okay. You have a point, but you’re still the bigger fangirl than me.”

 _“Well, no offense, but I would hope so. I have a reputation to hold.”_ Alya said. Marinette laughed. 

“Yes and I’m sure that reputation is just _so_ important.”

 _“It really is.”_ Alya said, incredibly serious. _“Could you imagine what my fanclubs would do if I wasn't a credible fangirl?”_ Marinette shook her head, amused.

“The absolute worst.”

 _“The absolute worst.”_ Alya repeated. A yawn came through Marinette’s phone. 

“Tired?”

_“Very. I should probably head to bed, I’ve got another morning shift tomorrow.”_

“Alright, I should get back to designing.”

 _“Night.”_ Alya said.

“Night.” And with that Marinette turned back to her designs eagerly. 

Excitement rose up in her again as she pressed play to one of Chat Noir’s videos, wishing Wednesday would arrive sooner than it would.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pretty low-key chapter today. I hope you've enjoyed the Alyanette friendship! Such a fun dynamic.


	11. Chapter 11

Adrien tapped his foot as he watched the views he had go up and up and up. It was nerve wracking seeing the amount of people who now knew his vulnerability. Oh well, that was the life he had said he would live when he wanted to become famous. The price was that he had to pour out everything about his life online, then others can easily access those facts. He was glad that he didn’t have to tell everyone his address unlike some major celebrities. He might be a huge name here in Paris’, but he was still quite local. Very few of his viewers were from outside of Paris, less so outside of France. 

He was too scared to check the comments. He really didn’t want to see what people were saying about him. Or what they thought of him and his confession. He knew that maybe not everyone would believe him, but he wanted to inspire at least one person. Hopefully, one person would take his speech to heart and start following their dreams and he hoped that they would succeed. 

He couldn’t remember the last time he had been this nervous about a video, in fact he couldn’t remember if he had ever been this nervous about publishing a video! No, that was a lie, his first video had been just as nerve-wracking as this one. Although those nerves were more of excitement “oh my gosh I’m actually doing this nerves” rather than “if I fail everything I’ve ever wanted will be taken from me” nerves. 

He was still worried about how Hawkmoth would respond to his video and what Ladybug would think. Dinner with Plagg had been over an hour and he had gotten stuck in the brilliant Parisian traffic on his way home, so it had ended up being closer to two hour before Adrien was able to check his vlog again. 

The Eiffel Tower was lit outside of his apartment, lighting up the night sky. Paris really was beautiful. Adrien may not like the bulk of his childhood memories, but he was always thankful that he was brought up here, instead of some place with less of a stunning view. Paris was called “The City of Lights.” For a reason. It was also the place culinary dreams live or die. Seriously, his father should’ve expected for Adrien to grow up with a love of cooking, especially because of his mother.

Oh how he missed his mother.

He shook his head. This was not the time to be bringing back what was the worst part of his childhood. Now, he had to focus on what will most likely be the worst part of his adulthood. 

At least he wasn’t alone in this. Ladybug was standing by him. She would continue to stand by him.

Oh, he hoped that she liked his speech. He hadn’t meant for it to turn into a rant about him dreaming, but he couldn’t help it. As soon as he had opened his mouth the words just couldn't stop coming. He still meant every word he said.

If it came down to it, he could play dirty as well. He hoped he wouldn’t need to. He’d hate to think that he would stoop to Hawkmoth’s level. Of course, he’d never do anything illegal, but he would expose that Hawkmoth or maybe that journalist he mentioned had hacked into his and Ladybug’s merch accounts. 

Maybe he should’ve anyway. Maybe legal action would’ve been necessary, but Adrien hoped that his video had scared Hawkmoth into silence. But, Adrien knew his bad luck streak and he knew it was very unlikely that it wouldn’t strike again here. 

He took in a deep breath and went to the comments section.

 **C@TLOVER25: Oh my gosh! Poor Chat! I can’t believe Hawkmoth would do something like that!** **  
  
**

**CutePie: This was so inspirational!**

**Fred: You guys realize he could be making this all up right?**

Adrien frowned. He knew that not everyone would believe him, but he hadn’t expected it to be this soon. The frown quickly disappeared, however, when he saw how many people were defending him in the replies. 

The comments were mostly positive, at least the one he saw. However, his comment section was selected to organize by oldest to newest. He obviously couldn’t read all of the thousands of comments that he had, but he read at least hundreds of them. He hoped that all of his other comments were in similar fashion. He noticed that he had gotten a notification from his mail app.

 _‘Ladybug!’_ He thought and sure enough, it was her reply.

He smiled as he read through her messages of her reaction to his video and through her talking about her best friend. The last bit had got him momentarily off-guard. She wanted _his_ opinion on her designs!

He didn’t think that a dress would get in the way of anything, at least not a summer dress. However, if he was going to teach her how to bake then she would have to wear an apron, which would fit better with the shirt/pants combo. Then again, he knew pretty much nothing about fashion or writing such intense novels. Maybe they would have to teach each other. He would share his favorite recipes about her and she would teach him all about sewing or writing, whichever one. 

**To: luckyladybug@miraculous.com**

**From: chatnoir.official@miraculous.com**

**RE: Video**

**Hey Ladybug!**

**Thank you so much for your support on my video! I was actually super scared to put it out there. You and your best friend aren’t the only ones who want to deck my father right now. I have about a hundred comments all saying the exact same thing.**

**Now, as far as your designs go, I would recommend the shirt/ pants outfit because if we need aprons it’ll be easier to move around. I would love to show you a bit of my favorite recipes. It may not help very much, but cooking is a great stress reliever. However, if you would rather not do that and get directly into business then that's absolutely fine. We could just sit around and talk on Wednesday. It really can’t come soon enough.**

Adrien bit his lip, wondering if he would explain why. Oh well, if she didn’t know now then she would know later. 

**As you know, my home life was not the best. It was incredibly limited and confined. It wasn’t until I moved out that I was really having friends for the first time and I don’t have many. I’m incredibly excited to meet you. You seem like an amazing person, just from our contact today. I feel like we’re going to get along like two peas in a pod. After all, working together is key to a purrfect partnership.**

He snickered at his pun. He couldn’t wait to show her the art of punning. 

**How did your shopping trip go?**

He remembered the detail from her last email earlier today. 

**I hope it went well and that your best friend will find plenty of joy with her partner.**

**Back on the track to your designs, could you maybe send me photos of them? Or at least the one that you don’t want to wear. Then you could surprise me and I could see what you’re working on?**

**I’m rather clueless about designing I’m afraid. Maybe you could show me the beginning? I’d at least like to know how to sew. Then I could start actually making my own merch instead of having companies do it for me. Or at least make a scarf or something once winter rolls around again.**

**I hope you’re doing well and that I’ll hear from you soon!**

**-Chat Noir**

With that he sent the email off. He hoped that he would hear back from her soon, but if she was anything like him when he was coming up with a new recipe, he was stuck in the zone for several hours, blind to the world. 

His phone buzzed in his hand and he jolted in surprise when he realized it was a text from his father.

**Gabriel: Are you busy?**

Adrien blinked in disbelief. Was he hallucinating from stress?

**Adrien: No**

Then, his phone darkened as Gabriel’s contact showed up on the screen. He was calling him!

“Hello?” Adrien asked, trying to sound so eager.

 _“Adrien. I’m sure by now you have seen the news.”_ Straight to the point and stoic as ever.

“What news?” He inquired.

 _“Hawkmoth, Ladybug, and Chat Noir.”_ That was odd. His father despised celebrities with a burning fashion and had sworn off all tabloids. 

“Um, yes I have Father, but I didn’t think you’d be interested in it.” He tried to keep the confusion out of his tone and the respect in.

 _“Well, Hawkmoth did air on prime-time national news. It was a bit hard to avoid this certain rumor. However, Hawkmoth did say some concerning points.”_ Gabriel said. 

Wait, what?

“You’re on Hawkmoth’s side?” He whispered.

 _“I wouldn’t exactly say I’m on his side, but he does have a point. We don’t know who these people are, we shouldn’t be infiltrating with them.”_ Adrien couldn’t believe his ears.

“But Father, what if they have a really, really good reason for hiding behind their masks?” Adrien tried his hardest to keep his voice even.

 _“You mean Chat Noir’s supposed excuse that he has a bad family life? Please Adrien, don’t be so naive.”_ Gabriel chided as he felt his heart break. 

“So, you don’t believe him?”

 _“No, not at all.”_ Ouch. _“I’m incredibly thankful that you’re an obedient son, not running around like this boy. He clearly needs to be stopped.”_ Double ouch. _“You know, he didn’t even scold his fans for worshipping him? He’s very egotistical. I swear to God all celebrities are washed-up little fakes. They know nothing about hard work and care about nothing but themselves.”_

“Even Chat Noir and Ladybug?” He knew that it was going to hurt, he _knew_ it, but that didn’t stop him from asking the question. 

_“Especially Chat Noir and Ladybug. I see an obvious solution to all of this. They need to come forward and take their masks off, then Hawkmoth would lose all credibility. But do they do this? No! You know why? Because they’re selfish Adrien, very, very selfish. I swear to the Heavens Above that if you ever become a celebrity I-.”_

“I won’t Father.” 

_“Good. Because if you go against the main thing that I told you not to do, then you would have failed as my son. You turning into one of those celebrities,”_ Gabriel spat out the word like it was a curse. _“Would be my worst fear.”_

Well, that settled it. As soon as he came forward, he would lose all of his family. They would all be gone or good as gone. He blinked the tears out of his eyes.

 _“Now, don’t get me wrong, I want to see you successful like all parents, but if you throw your life away…”_ Gabriel didn’t need to finish the sentence.

“I know Father.” 

_“Speaking of becoming successful, how is settling into your new office going?”_ Gabriel asked. 

If Adrien were younger, he would assume that Gabriel was actually taking an interest into his life, but he knew that this most likely wasn’t the case. He was probably making sure his costs were paying off.

“It’s going well Father.” He made sure to use proper grammar. If he didn’t he had no doubt that Gabriel would reprimand him.

_“Very good. Do you have any cases yet?”_

“No, but it’s still a new place. Nino and I are working our hardest to tie up all the paperwork from the old place.”

_“Hmmm.”_

Adrien knew that his father didn’t approve of Nino. He thought that he was too “laid back”, but Adrien had learned early on that he disliked anyone who didn’t go around acting prim and proper and perfect. 

“I’m sure that new cases will roll in soon, even if they are minor.”

_“I certainly hope so. I would hate to see my money go to waste.”_

Of course, it was always about the money when it came to Gabriel.

 _“Especially since I may be running short soon, thanks to a mangy cat.”_ Adrien was glad he wasn’t speaking face to face with his father because there was no way not to hide his flinch. _“That batch was just a bad bunch. I’ve already fired the people involved, but it’s most likely already too late. See? This is why I despise celebrities, Adrien.”_

Aaand back to this again. 

_“Did Chat think about all the small businesses he was ruining when he filmed that video? No! Of course not!_ ” Adrien just sighed, because it was true, even if it hadn’t been his father’s brand, he still would’ve destroyed a company. Then, people would be laid off and it’d be terrible. There was no one to blame but himself. _“But did that stop him from filming the video anyway? Nope! You know why?”_

“Because they’re selfish and only think of themselves.” Adrien repeated the words that had followed his childhood and teenage years.

 _“Because they’re selfish and only think of themselves. Exactly. I’m so glad that you see sense. Not everyone will be as wise as us Adrien. In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if some even had a negative outlook on us because we decided not to be sheep in a herd._ ” He could hear the stuck-up nose over the phone. _“But, it’s important to stand by what we believe in, even if it’s different.”_

“Yes Father.” Adrien said.

 _“And always remember that they will do anything to make them the victim. They’ll make up tall tales, stage things, even ruin their own lives because they can’t stand the one hater!”_ Gabriel scoffed. _“They can’t be trusted, no matter what they say.”_

“Yes Father. I know, I can only trust myself and my beliefs.”

_“I’m glad you have kept the beliefs I’ve tried so hard to teach you.”_

“Yes, well, it wouldn’t be wise to go against you, would it?” Adrien tried his hardest to keep the sarcasm out of his voice.

 _“No it wouldn’t.”_ Gabriel said, 100% serious. 

“So Father, what are you going to do about the declining sales?” Adrien attempted to change the subject.

_“I’m planning on releasing a statement talking about the faulty china Chat Noir had tested and why it’s being stopped. Then, I will get statements from some of the restaurants around town who stock my china and get statements from them. I do hope that will be enough to fight the decline.”_

“Me too Father.” Adrien may not like his father, but he still loved him. He didn’t want his father laying innocent people off. That video really had been a bad idea.

 _“It’s still gobsmacking that I even have to do this. I have been a trusted brand for years and one fault batch will mean the bankruptcy of my company? What bullcrap.”_ It wasn’t often that Gabriel cussed, he saw it as below him, but when he did that's how you knew he had reached his limit.

“Yes Father, it is quite dumb.”

_“It’s more than dumb, but I will do whatever it takes to save my company from going under.”_

“I wish I could do something to help you.” Adrien told him.

 _‘Especially since I’m the reason why you have to go through all this in the first place.’_ He thought.

_“But there is something you can do Adrien! Spread the truth about Chat Noir!”_

“W-what?” He whispered.

 _“You heard me. Tell people what a bastard Chat Noir is, spreading the word may save my company and all of the jobs within it._ ” Adrien gulped. _“After all, son, don’t we agree what terrible people celebrities are?”_ His tone told Adrien that there was only one right answer.

“Yes.” He whispered.

_“Good. Then you will do this for me and you’ll make me proud.”_

“Bu-”

_“Now, I must go. Goodbye Adrien.”_

“Wait!” But it was too late, Gabriel had already hung up the phone.

What did he just do? 


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some good ol' Plagg and Tikki content.

"Bye Tikki! I'll see you tomorrow!" Tikki waved goodbye to Sabine as she left the bakery, her order for two in hand.

"Bye Sabine!" Tikki hummed to herself as she walked through the Parisian streets, all the trees were in bloom and it was just so beautiful to her.

"Hey sugar cube." A familiar voice greeted her.

"Good morning Plagg." She greeted him.

"You got my breakfast?" He asked eagerly.

"Do you care only about your stomach?" Tikki teased.

"This coming from the woman who can't go a day without eating some sort of sweet." Tikki clicked her tongue.

"Touche." She handed him his order.

While she would always get a chocolate chip latte with extra whipped cream and sprinkles, Plagg would get black coffee. She would get a strawberry danish while Plagg would get some camembert mini quiches.

"My deliciousness!" The kwami exclaimed, devouring one of the mini quiches whole. Tikki giggled.

His antics may seem annoying to some, but over time they had grown on her. Besides, who wouldn't take joy in seeing their friend enjoying something they liked?

"You know Tikki," Plagg said as Tikki took a bite of her danish. Delicious as always. "Do you really think it's a good idea to get your daily pastries from your client's parent's bakery?"

"I'm trying to support my Ladybug in any way that I can." She said once she swallowed. "If that includes going to a certain bakery for snacks then I won't oppose." 

"I never thought I'd see the day where I care more about secret identities than you do. Normally you're the one who's always on my case about keeping the up and coming vloggers a secret until they're ready." Plagg shook his head.

"Even if someone figured out that I happened to be Ladybug's publisher and knew who she was, that would still leave them with hundreds of people, stinky sock." Her lips curled into a smirk as she said the nickname. Plagg groaned.

"Oh come on! You can't possibly still hold that over my head."

"I can and I will." Tikki started to walk a brisk pace in front of him.

"Lord woman, how can you walk in those?" Plagg asked once he caught up to her.

"It's a gift." She replied. The 'those' Plagg was talking about happened to be her cherry red stilettos she had gotten.

"No kidding. I've heard Pollen complain more than enough times about how painful stilettos are." Tikki hummed.

"Well, I'll just have to teach her how to master the art of wearing stilettos." Plagg shook his head.

"Girls and their shoes."

"Boys and their sports."

"You and your sweets."

"You and your cheese."

"Can we at least agree that cheesecake is delicious?" Plagg smiled.

"Well obviously."

"And you have to admit, cheese makes so many things better!" Plagg said.

"Like..?"

"Pizza, tacos, noodles, burritos, soup." Plagg listed off. "To name a few."

"I'm not convinced." Tikki said with her sly grin. She wasn't usually one to tease, but that was just how her and Plagg worked. Their friendly bickering helped during the harder days of her job and kept her motivated during the easier ones.

"What about cheetos? Doritos? Omelettes! Grilled cheese! Morning sandwiches, burgers! Hot dogs!" Plagg continued to say.

"Fine, cheese does have some uses, but so do my pastries."

"I never said they didn't. It's not my fault you have more of a child's palette." He smirked, winked, then took off.

"Why you!" Tikki chased after him, trying to balance her coffee in one hand and her almost-gone danish in the other.

Even if she was annoyed with the man, she still smiled at the sound of his laughter. Even with their years of being kwami's and friend's together, she still didn't know much about his childhood, but she knew it was why he was closed off and bugged people all the time. He tried to trick them into thinking that he didn't care, but Tikki knew better.

Tikki knew that he cared so deeply about people. He just didn't want to be hurt again. Although, he had slowly but surely become warmer ever since becoming a kwami and taking on Cat Noir. 

Her and Plagg had met during training, they were both becoming kwami's at the same time and it helped them bond, which she was forever grateful for. She had been assigned Ladybug and he to Chat Noir and even though work had kept the both of them busy, they had managed to stay in contact.

It was quite ironic really. When Ladybug and Chat Noir had first spiked up in popularity, Tikki honestly thought they would never have to cross paths other than at banquets. She had thought it would be amusing, if they had ended up knowing each other as well as she and Plagg did. Well, it wasn't so amusing now that she was living in it.

She shook the thought of Hawkmoth from her head and focused on catching up to Plagg and making him pay.

"I may be the one with a child palette, but at least I act like an adult."

"My darling Tikki! How could you insinuate such a thing?" Plagg said in a dramatic gasp. Tikki rolled her eyes fondly.

"Because you do things like that." She answered.

"You love it." Plagg teased. Tikki tapped her chin in consideration.

"Do I? Do I really love it?"

"Yes, you do. Nothing can convince me otherwise." Plagg grinned. Tikki shook her head.

"Alright, whatever you say stinky sock."

"Hmph, it wasn't my fault that I didn't see it." He grumbled.

"It's not your fault that you didn't see a huge pile of laundry right in front of you?"

"I was a bit preoccupied with trying not to die." Tikki rolled her eyes.

"That's what you get when you try and take Mullo's cheese, you should know better than that."

"Well I didn't expect them to get so defensive of it!"

"Mullo loves cheese as much as you do, Plagg."

 _"Almost_ as much as I do." Plagg amended.

"Whatever you say." Tikki said, knowing that it was a losing battle.

"But they were hogging the cheese! How was I supposed to know that they would realize I had swiped just a tiny bit of their brie?"

"The same way you would know if Mullo swiped a bit of your camembert. You know brie is their favorite."

"Whatever, they still should've shared."

"Do you share whenever you have an abundance of cheese?" Tikki pointedly asked.

"What? No! I earned that cheese! It's mine!" She raised an eyebrow. "Oh."

"Yeah, oh." She said.

"Well whatever! It's still not my fault that I dived head first into dirty laundry!"

"Oh I just love karma." Tikki sang.

"It wasn't karma!" Plagg defended.

"Uh-huh sure."

"It wasn't karma." He grumbled again under his breath, probably not realizing that she could hear him just fine.

"So, what's on your agenda today?" She asked him.

"Damage control." He answered simply.

"I heard that he uploaded a new video, do you think it'll blow over well?"

"I'd love to say yes, but it all depends on Hawkmoth." It was the first mention of how this morning was not like every other morning that they've taken this walk from the Dupain-Cheng bakery to Miraculous HQ. "If he's gone forever then I would say yes. Chat Noir's done a wonderful job at defending himself and refuting Hawkmoth. If he comes back..." Plagg bit his lip. 

"He could twist things to paint Chat like a villain." Plagg nodded.

"And then Chat does the same thing and then Hawkmoth and then Chat and then-."

"It's a never-ending cycle." Tikki interrupted Plagg.

"Pretty much and it absolutely sucks. My kid is such a good one Tikki. He's so kind, but his father's an a-hole and would never support him being Chat Noir." Tikki scoffed.

"What type of father would do that?"

"I don't know. Kid says that he's got a vendetta against all celebrities for some reason and he's said some pretty harsh words about our company in the past."

"Hmph. Well, we just have to be the bigger people and not pay attention to it. If it's critique then we can take it to heart and see if it's something we're willing to change, but we both know it's better to ignore the unnecessary hate."

"I know that, but that father is the kid's last family member." Tikki gasped.

"Really?" She asked in a whisper.

"Unfortunately yes. Both of his parents are only children and his grandparents have both passed on."

"But," did she dare ask? "Where's his mother?" She did. Plagg shook his head.

"Gone. Kid's never told me anything more than that, I'm not even sure if he knows what happened to her."

"That's terrible." Tikki said sympathetically. If she ever met Chat Noir, she was going to scoop him into the biggest hug and give him plenty of pastries.

"It really is. Especially since he knows that his father is downright terrible, but he's never stopped loving him. He just wants his approval Tikki and I think that may be impossible unless he covers up a huge part of himself." Tikki could see that Plagg was becoming more distressed, so she did what she thought was best:

She wrapped her arms around him and squeezed the living daylights out of him.

"I'm sure you're doing an amazing job of being his kwami and that he's very thankful." She knew what this was really about.

Plagg didn't want to fail and if Chat Noir kept feeling unloved and without approval, it will feel like he failed. She knew Plagg could empathize with him, after all they both had shoddy childhoods. She knew that Plagg probably wanted to help this kid get what he's wanted most: his father's approval. But, she also knew that Plagg couldn't give that to him, only his father could give that to him.

And it was heartbreaking.

Chat Noir had been around for years and if Plagg and he had any relationship like Marinette and herself then she would know that they were very close. It was hard watching someone who you care about go through hard times. It's even worse when you can't tell them and the cherry on top was that Plagg might have dealt with the same thing.

She could feel Plagg freeze up for a moment, he still wasn't used to affection, but soon melted into her.

"Thank you." He said with his arms around her. "I really needed to hear that."

"I know." She said. It was a good thing they had finished eating or else the pastries would've ruined their clothes and Pollen would've downright murdered them.

"I'm good now." He said after a few moments and they broke apart.

"Whenever you need a hug, don't be afraid to ask alright?"

"I won't. I promise." He said.

"You won't what? You won't ask or you won't be afraid?" Tikki grinned. Plagg let out a chuckle.

"I won't be afraid. After all, you're like a marshmallow. Short and sweet." Tikki rolled her eyes.

"Marshmallows are delicious thank you very much."

"Did you just call yourself delicious?" Plagg teased.

"Oh you be quiet you sticky sock." He laughed as they continued to walk.

"Next time think before you speak Teeks." He told her. "That's the only way to escape my wrath."

"Your wrath?" She rolled her eyes. "Yeah, your so-called 'wrath' could probably be defeated by a seven year-old."

"And yet you still can't seem to come up with good comebacks. Hmm, how odd."

"That's because I try not to be so childish."

"Yet you hold an incident I had several years ago over my head."

"You know the deal. I stop calling you stinky sock when you stop calling me sugar cube."

"No can do, sugar cube!" Plagg said cheerfully.

"Fine by me, stinky sock."

"You need a better nickname for me." He pouted.

"No, I don't think I do."

"But sugar cube is an actual good nickname! It's cute and sweet! Stinky sock is an epitome of embarrassment for me!"

"Well, what else am I supposed to call you? Camembert?" She crossed her arms smirking.

"Camembabe." He winked. Tikki faked gagged.

"Yeah over my dead body." She told him.

"Aww." He whined. “Well I don’t know, it doesn’t have to be food related!” He said, perking right back up.

“I still like stinky sock the best.”

“Tiiiiiikkkkiiiii” Plagg whined. “Why must you do this to meeee? I’m just a poor boy from a poor family.”

“Spare him his life from this monstrosity.” Tikki said.

“What?” Plagg gave her a blank look. Tikki gasped.

“What do you mean what?” She cried.

“Exactly that. That was random.”

“You’ve never heard Bohemian Rhapsody?” She asked incredulously.

“Uh no? Should I have?”

“Have you heard We Will Rock You? We Are the Champions?” Both were met with the shake of a head.

“No what are those?”

“Do you even know who Freddie Mercury is?” Tikki asked.

“Should I?” Plagg asked.

“Yes you should! He’s one of the most influential people in rock music!” She cried. “I can’t believe this, I’ve known you for years and yet you don’t know what Queen is! This must be fixed, after work we’re going to my apartment and you are going to get a lesson in rock music.”

“Okay then Ms. Tikki! I don’t think I’ve got anything to do. Chat Noir is working his civilian job today.”

“He works two jobs?”

“Yep, isn’t your bug the same way?”

“Yeah and she does fashion commissions on top of that.” Plagg whistled.

“Very impressive.” Tikki had to agree. “You think she could make me something?” Plagg asked.

“I don’t see why not, but what would you want?”

“I don’t know, but it’d be nice to have something from the girl who means a lot to you.” Plagg said grinning.

“Yeah, you know, I don’t think I have anything made by her either!” Tikki suddenly said. “Oh I must fix this! I’ll have to email her or something. What would you like?” Plagg laughed.

“I just told you! I don’t know what I would like!”

“Oh! How about some merch? For Ladybug and Chat Noir?”

“I have some already, but no merch to wear.”

“Well, it’s decided then!”

“So what are you up to today?” Plagg asked her.

“Well, I’m not exactly sure. I can’t exactly do damage control as easily as you can. I may go through new submissions and see if we can pair anyone with our not in use kwamis.”

“I still can’t believe you’re on the jury.”

“You’re on the jury too.” Tikki reminded him. Plagg grinned.

“Yeah, you’re right, but I never have time to go through submissions! I’ve got an entire video team to manage! And then there’s the actual film studio people who hopefully won’t be on my back for renting it twice next week.”

“Why would you need to rent it twice?” Tikki asked.

“Your bug hasn’t told you yet? Chat reached out to her and they’re going to brainstorm how to handle this going forward, if there’s reason too.” Tikki looked at Plagg in surprise.

Mari hadn’t mentioned anything to her, then again this was most likely something that had happened yesterday.

“Well, that’s amazing!” Plagg nodded.

“It’s a good thing they aren’t alone.”

“Tikki! Plagg!” They were greeted by Wayzz, his long green hair pulled up into a bun on the top of his head. “Master Fu was wondering, have either of you heard from Nooroo?”

Tikki and Plagg exchanged looks of confusion.

“No why?” She answered for the both of them.

“He missed his shift yesterday.” Wayzz explained. “Master’s not too worried, we all know how often Nooroo has forgotten to call in sick.”

“He thinks he’s bothering us!” Tikki shook her head. “That poor man, especially with Duusu in the hospital,” Wayzz nodded.

“Yes, well we were curious, apparently no one has heard from him since Tuesday.”

“I hope he’s alright!” Tikki said.

“Of course he is. He probably just got sick and then forgot to call in, like Wayzz said.” Plagg told them.

“Well, if you hear from him Wayzz, tell him I told him to get well soon.” Tikki said.

“I will.”

With that the three kwami’s entered the building, ready to face the day. 


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We have our DJ WIFI date! TW: discussions of murder and suicide please proceed with caution.

Nino took in a deep breath as he popped the collar to his shirt.

"Dude, trust me, you'll be fine!" Adrien said as he thumbed through a magazine on Nino's couch.

"I certainly hope so! I really like this girl..." He trailed off.

"I'm glad you do. I'm certain that this time it'll work out and you'll get a second date or sure!" Adrien cheered. Nino grabbed his phone to check the time and that he was on schedule

"Dude, I know that you're trying to be helpful, but it's really not helping. I've never even been able to make it past the first date before except for that one time-."

"Which we don't talk about." Adrien interjected.

"Which we don't talk about." Nino agreed.

"But this time, it'll be great! You and Alya have been talking right?" Adrien asked.

"Of course we have."

"How have those conversations been going?" Adrien asked.

"Really well, we stayed up super late last night because we were too excited for today."

"It's going to be amazing Nino! I can just feel it in my bones." Adrien said.

"Thanks for the vote of confidence man, but I'm super nervous."

"Where are you two going again?"

"Just to an arcade to hang out and then get pizza." Nino shrugged. "Nothing too fancy since we don't even know each other."

"Something tells me that it won't stay that way for long." Adrien smirked.

"One can hope."

"Well currently three are hoping. You, me, and Alya." Adrien grinned.

"Yeah, it's a bit reassuring that I'm not the only one who's filled with nerves."

"You two are already so similar. It must be the workings of true love." Adrien clasped his hands and fluttered his eyelashes. Nino burst out laughing.

"Alright, whatever you say Disney Princess."

"Disney Princesses are amazing Nino, I don't care what anyone says."

"I agree with you man! Disney is a classic."

"Disney practically owns the world at this point." Adrien muttered.

"Eh, could be worse. We could've been taken over by aliens or robots yet or something."

"Or a super villain could take over Paris." Adrien said jokingly.

"Hey dude you never know. I mean some politicians are practically super villains already." Adrien stuck out his tongue.

"Boo. Adulting things." Adrien said.

"Too bad we are, you know, actual adults."

"It's pretty sad when your adulthood is better than your childhood, but your adulthood is riddled with bills and responsibility."

"Dude, are you okay?" Nino asked.

"Yeah, I've been doing a lot better. Thanks again for answering that late a few days ago."

"What? You mean Wednesday? It's no problem dude. I'm your best friend."

Adrien had called Nino ranting something about his father and Hawkmoth and how much he was an idiot. It had taken Nino nearly an hour to get Adrien to calm down and explain just what the hell the call was about.

Apparently, his father had wanted him to spread the news that Hawkmoth was totally right about Chat Noir. Nino knew that Adrien knew a ton about the celebrity and was a huge fan of him. Of course, Nino was too. He knew that both Adrien and him had been fans of Chat Noir since he first uploaded, all those years ago. So, he would know that this hurt Adrien. His own father had asked him to turn against his favorite celebrity.

Nino had never wanted to punch Gabriel Agreste in the face more and that was saying something.

"Still, I just felt a little silly venting to you like that." Adrien scratched his neck again, a nervous habit that Nino noticed he had.

"Don't. It's not healthy to repress emotions deep inside of you. You needed to get it off your chest, but have you figured out what to do about the situation?" Even though Nino had desperately wanted to help Adrien find a solution, he had refused saying he had some other people he needed to talk to about this.

However, due to his sheltered childhood Nino knew that he was socially awkward. He had known it from the first time Adrien had interacted with a client.

"Yeah I think I do."

"You talked with those people?" Nino asked.

"Yep! I think we've got something that I could do."

"Oh? What's that?"

"Well, how could my father know I was supporting Hawkmoth other than my word, right? So, it's very, very simple, I just will lie to him." Adrien told him.

"No way. You, Adrien Agreste, are planning on lying to your father?" Nino said, flabbergasted. Adrien chuckled shyly.

"Well, yeah. I'm not about to say I support someone who's doing nearly illegal things." NIno frowned.

"Now, I don't believe a word Hawkmoth says and that photo was totally staged, but we can't claim he's doing anything illegal."

"He hacked into the merchandise sales of Ladybug and Chat Noir, those are supposed to be private."

"Wait, seriously?" Nino asked. Adrien nodded.

"Yep."

"Wow. Never mind what I said."

"Although, we can't really claim that it was Hawkmoth who hacked into the sales. I already tried on Thursday." Adrien huffed. "They said that there was a photo of the sales up a few hours before the news coverage and he could've easily changed his story."

"I'm sorry dude, that sucks." Nino said. Adrien just shrugged.

"It is what it is. One day he'll do something that actually is illegal and then we'll be ready for him."

"If only detectives could arrest people." Nino said wryly.

"If only." Adrien shook his head. "Although, that could cause an abuse in power and we wouldn't want that."

"Abusing powers is a huge no no." Nino joked.

"So poetic."

"Oh you be quiet." Nino grumbled.

"Never." Adrien grinned.

"Will I have to be poetic for Alya? Like do I need to make some big grand gesture when I show up?" Nino asked.

"You're asking the wrong person man. The only knowledge I have about romance comes from shojo anime." Adrien said.

"Yes, I am more than aware that you're a weeb."

"Like you're not the exact same way."

"Touche." Nino remarked. Adrien grinned.

"So what time do you think you'll be back tonight?" He asked.

"Why?"

"I just want to know if I should call you tonight or tomorrow to get all of the details to the start of your epic love story." Adrien teased and Nino rolled his eyes.

"It's not some epic love story." He said.

"I beg to differ. You two just so happened to be fated to meet when she waited your table one night. Two strangers, tied together by fate finally meeting each other after so many years alone." Adrien put his hand against his head and fell back against the couch.

"You're so dramatic."

"Maybe I should've been an actor." Adrien winked.

"Yeah, that'd be a great way to send your father to an early death. Become a celebrity, the people he literally despises would suddenly be your best friends." Adrien chuckled bitterly.

"Tell me about it."

Nino bit his lip. He often suspected that Adrien didn't want to be a detective, but Nino was thankful for meeting him. Adrien was a really good friend and helped soften the blow when his little brother ran away when he was far too young. They had grown into pretty good partners solving cases fast and efficiently.

Still... it would be nice to finally know for sure.

"Do you wish you hadn't become a detective?" Nino asked before he could stop himself.

"Well, not exactly. I do enjoy solving cases. I love seeing a problem and figuring it out, but I do wish that I could pursue a different profession sometimes. But, I'm really glad I've met you. You're like the first friend I ever had." Adrien shot him a sincere smile and again Nino wanted to straight up murder his father for isolating him all throughout childhood.

"I'm glad that we've met too." Nino said grinning.

"Wow. We got super sentimental there." Adrien said, joking.

"It'll help get me into a romantic mood. Now, how's my smolder?" Nino made an exaggerated face and Adrien started to laugh.

"Terrible, absolutely terrible."

Just then, Nino's alarm went off.

Nino took in a sharp breath. It was time.

"You ready to go?" Adrien said.

"As ready as I'll ever be." Nino said, butterflies fluttering in his stomach.

"Hey, it'll be great." Adrien said as they walked out of Nino's apartment and he locked the door.

"Here's hoping for the best." Nino said, holding out his fist. Maybe it was a bit juvenile to say goodbye to his best friend with a fits bump, but he honestly couldn't care less. Why did adults have to give up anything remotely childish?

"I'll wish upon a star for your fairytale ending." Adrien raised his fist to meet Nino's.

"Thanks dude." He said.

"See ya! Good luck! Tell me all about it!" Adrien said once they were by each other's cars.

"Will do!" Nino said as Nino started to make his way to his car.

He arrived at the restaurant a few moments later, with his heart in his throat. He and Alya had decided to hit the pizza place first and then the arcade, then desert after if they weren't too tired.

Oh there she was.

She was sitting in a both, her hair down around her shoulders. She looked amazing underneath the lights of the restaurant.

Oh boy was he in trouble.

Gulping to try and clear his throat, he headed over to her.

"Hey Alya." He greeted her. She looked up.

"Nino!" She grinned. He saw her eyes move over him, taking in his faded red collar shirt and jeans. He blushed, hard. "Hey." She sounded a bit breathless, although that could be his brain messing with him.

"Hi, how are you?" He asked, taking the seat across from her.

"I'm great. Really, really great." She smiled. "I've been just so excited for tonight." She gave him a breathtaking grin.

"Me too." He said. "How's your day been?"

"Pretty good. I took my little sisters out today." She told him.

"Oh really?" He said. "That's awesome! Where'd you take them?"

"Well went to a salon and they got to pick out their makeup and whatnot. It's actually the salon right by our work." She told him.

"Oh! I Feel Pretty, right?" Nino asked, remembering the sign for it.

"Yep! That's the one! It was a ton of fun. The girl there, Chloe Bourgeois, she knows exactly what she's talking about even if she is a little blunt." Nino chuckled.

"How old are your sisters?"

"They're sixteen!"

 _'About the same age as Chris.'_ Nino realized. His heart let out a hurtful pang as it did whenever he thought of his brother.

"That's great!"

"Yeah it was a ton of fun, what about you? How was your day?"

"Well, I had to run a few errands this morning, but then Adrien came over for a bit and helped me get ready and now I'm here."

"That's great! It's just the best when you're best friends with one of your co-workers, it makes the hours just so much better." Alya said.

"It really does. Adrien and I spend a ton of time together, so it's only natural that we'd grow closer." Nino smiled.

"It's a good thing that you two don't hate each other." Nino shook his head.

"Could you imagine? It would certainly make detective work a lot harder." Alya hummed.

"What do you think was the funnest case you've ever worked on?" She asked.

"The funnest case?"

"Yeah! Like you know how escape rooms are? You have to put a bunch of clues together to succeed? What was the funnest?"

"Hmm, well call this weird, but I've always enjoyed the murder cases the most. The Ah Ha! Moment is always so much better in those cases."

"I totally get it. It's like when everything finally makes sense and you get to send a criminal off, it's always so satisfying."

"Yeah!"

"Okay, but do you have that classic bulletin board with the red string with all the photos on it like they do in all the movies?" Alya asked. Nino scoffed.

"Of course I do, any detective that has an inch of self-respect has a bulletin board with a red string."

"Well, I am so glad to hear that. So, what was your favorite murder case? I'm sure there's many in a city as big as Paris." Alya said. Nino bit his lip, running through past cases.

"Well, I can't tell you all of my cases because of private matters and what not."

"Oh, I understand, but what's one that you can tell me?" She said eagerly, her eyes glimmering so beautifully.

"Well there was this one case that I had-."

"Hello and welcome to Felipe's! What can I get for you two?" A waiter came and interrupted Nino.

"Dr. Pepper." Alya ordered.

"Ditto." He said.

"Are we ready to order?"

"Uhh," He and Alya exchanged glances. He hadn't even thought about food.

"I'll be back." The waiter said, winking and walking off.

"I guess we should probably think about what we're going to eat huh?" Alya said, looking sheepish.

"Yeah that would probably be a good idea. I'll be sure to tell you all about this case afterwards and boy is it a doozy." He said opening up his menu.

"Oh?" Alya questioned.

"Yep. It's actually the case that took Adrien and I the longest to solve."

"Wow, how long was that?" She asked.

"Like, four days."

"Is that a long time in criminology?"

"It's long for Adrien and I. We normally solve them pretty fast."

"Yeah, I think I know what I want to order." She told him.

"Whatcha getting?"

"This place does pies for just one person right?" She asked.

"Yeah."

"I'm gonna get the Hot Stuff pizza." She said. Nino looked over the ingredients.

The name was accurate, all the toppings had some spice in some way.

"Wow, think you can handle it?"

"I grew up eating spicy food." Alya smirked. "I'll be fine." She said, winking. His heart sputtered.

"C-cool. I think I'm going to get the Meat Lovers pizza." He said.

"Great! Now, tell me about this case?" She said, scooting up to the table with childlike excitement in her eyes. She really was cute.

"Alright, well. It was one of those cases where the victim was someone that everyone loved."

"Oh no, those are always the hardest to solve." Nino nodded.

"It was also difficult because there weren't any fingerprints or hair or anything to get DNA with."

"Jeez. How'd they die?" Alya asked.

"She drowned and there was no sign of any struggle. We had ruled it as a suicide, but her sister begged us to reopen the case because she knew that her sister wouldn't take her life like that."

"And?"

"It turned out the sister was right. A small rubber duck that wasn't the victim's showed up on the scene. Using that Adrien and I managed to figure out who it was." Nino said, he couldn't help the pride that rose up in him at the fact they managed to solve it so quickly.

"Who was it?"

"It was her ex that she had broken up with because he was unstable and she couldn't deal with it anymore."

"Wow, that's ironic." Alya said.

"Tell me about it."

"Are you two ready to order now?" The waiter said.

"Yep!" Alya replied. Nino sighed as he watched her.

This could be the start of something beautiful.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love how we're thirteen chapters in and the two leads haven't even met yet. lol.


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The plot thickens....

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I regret nothing.

Adrien sat in his office, full of nervous energy. It was Tuesday, in less than twenty-four hours he would meet Ladybug.

They had been emailing pretty much non-stop since Wednesday and it seemed like they would get along great. Still, it was nerve-wracking to think that he’d be meeting someone who’s so famous. Of course, he had the same level of fame, but that didn’t mean that it wasn’t intimidating. 

So far, responses to his video had been mainly positive. Of course, there was always that odd person who believed that he was lying, but most of the reactions were nothing but supportive. Some even spoke out about their family situations and how it was similar. He had read some comments that had him crying because they were just so sweet.

Now he was typing emails to the owner of the building, getting payments squared away. It certainly wasn’t the most exciting work and it allowed his mind to wonder about tomorrow's meet-up. 

Would she still think that it was necessary? Hawkmoth’s video had been posted almost a week ago, and there hadn’t been any response from him since. Adrien didn’t know what he had expected, a response maybe? Hawkmoth had given this huge speech with a serious threat, but the moment someone retaliated he fell into silence? 

It definitely made him feel a little foolish, freaking out about Hawkmoth as bad as he had. To be fair, Ladybug, Alya and Nino had felt the same. They had all panicked or at least had a serious reaction to the video, and so did many others if comments between the release of Hawkmoth’s video and his were to be believed. 

Even if she didn’t think it was necessary, Adrien still liked to think he could hang out with Ladybug. She seemed like someone he would easily get along with in the emails, but he hoped that she was like she seemed. 

Why would she lie?

“Dude! Have you seen this?” Nino burst into the room. Adrien turned around and furrowed his brows.

“Seen what?”

“Hawkmoth is on national news!” Nino exclaimed.

“What?” Adrien cried.

“Yeah! I just heard from Alya, she’s watching it next door. Come on! Turn it on!” Adrien quickly went to the TVi website where it had live feed of the show.

Taking a deep breath, he pressed on the video.

 _“Now let’s begin discussing why I know Chat Noir is lying.”_ Hawkmoth told the screen.

Adrien gritted his teeth trying to fight the anger in him.

_“He claims that his father wouldn't love him anymore if he revealed his identity, right? Well, the thing is, he’s been around for over five years. He’s currently twenty-three and was eighteen in his first video. However, I am very familiar with the miraculous company. The company Chat Noir claims he works for does not work with minors.”_

“Dude, eighteen is legal age.” Nino muttered.

“I know.” Adrien said, almost smirking at Hawkmoth’s lie.

_“Now, I know that eighteen is the legal age, but if you remember his birthday special that he had done, that was on September 23rd. His first video came out on September 30th. Unless Chat Noir managed to reach out, catch the attention, create a contract and organize a meet up with the miraculous company in a week, he would’ve reached out and created a contract while he was a minor. Which means that the miraculous company needed the signature of his guardians before proceeding. So, either Chat Noir lied about his age or he lied about his father not respecting him. Checkmate, Chat.”_

Adrien’s jaw dropped and Nino let out a long sigh. 

“Well, I can’t say that he doesn’t have a point.” Nino said, rubbing his temples.

“I know.” Adrien whispered. 

Oh, this was bad. Very, very bad. 

_“And don’t even get me started on Ladybug.”_ Hawkmoth continued. _“Unlike Chat Noir, she hasn’t even tried to deny the claims I’ve made against her. I understand that many of you Ladybug stans will attack me because she doesn’t have social media, but how hard is it to start up a new account? Apparently, too hard to defend her career.”_

“What? That’s absurd!” Adrien cried. “She’s probably figuring something out right now! He attacks her for not coming up with something in a week?” He scoffed.

“Alya’s not happy either.” Nino muttered.

“I can understand why.” Adrien looked at the camera, grim.

_“I think the fact that she didn’t think this mass panic wasn’t important enough to stand up for herself says enough about her character. She may even enjoy this extra attention we’re all giving her.”_

“You think someone likes hate mail?” Adrien nearly shouted.

“He can’t hear you, Adrien.” Nino said, obviously stressed out as his fingers flew across the phone screen. He was most likely texting Alya. 

_“There’s this entire mentality that all publicity is good publicity, correct? Many businesses use it, why wouldn’t she? After all, fame has made her corrupt. We have given her power to believe she can get away with hiding her true beliefs. She can’t. She needs to come into the light and prove she’s the person that she says she is.”_ Hawkmoth grinned. _“Seeing as if she believed in all the right things, she wouldn’t hesitate to speak out about those issues. Who knows? Maybe Ladybug is actually a racist homophobe who will stop at nothing to force her beliefs on those who are willing. People of Paris, that is all of us.”_

“He’s grasping at straws.” Nino muttered. “There’s no proof of her being those things, in fact a ton of her characters have some sort of minority representation.” Adrien nodded, the queasy feeling in his stomach not going away. 

_“I understand that sounds crazy, trust me. But how many times have fans of shows and movies been queer-bated into watching something? Who says something similar isn’t happening here?”_ Hawkmoth lifted his purple covered arms. _“We’ll never find out unless Ladybug comes forward and shares her story with us. At least, Chat Noir tried to save himself. Of course, I noticed the lie right away and felt that you, his loyal fans, needed to learn that you all had been duped._

 _“I certainly don’t blame you.”_ Hawkmoth continued. _“If you’ve been a fan of these celebrities for years, then I‘m sure that this is upsetting for you. You want to believe any scrap of innocence they throw at you and who doesn’t love a good victim story? A dark past has turned villains into heroes in the eyes of the public. I’ve seen it many many times in works of fiction. Oftentimes, fiction is more realistic than we’d like to believe. I’m afraid that’s what happened here. He’s clever, very, very, clever. If he hadn’t said his age he would’ve gotten away with it, too. It’s a shame. Chat Noir truly is a master of deception.”_

Nino sighed. 

“Do you believe him?’ Adrien asked in a shaky voice.

“I don’t know, dude. I just don’t know. There’s no way to prove Hawkmoth wrong other than words.” Nino bit his lip. “For the sake of you and Alya, I really hope that he’s wrong.”

Suddenly, an idea came to Adrien.

“What if he could prove his innocence by showing the actual contract?” He said excitedly. Nino looked at him.

“Yeah! That would totally work!” Suddenly, Nino’s face fell. “But, the signature at the end would be his real name. Proving his innocence would mean giving up his identity.” 

Adrien felt a sinking feeling in his stomach. Nino was right.

“He’s backed him into a corner.” Nino nodded.

“It could’ve all been avoided too, if he hadn’t said his age.” Adrien felt like kicking himself.

What an idiot! It’s internet safety 101 to not share your age. Of course, Adrien thought he could ignore it, but he couldn’t. 

_“Paris I ask you to share this video with others. Spread the news about Ladybug and Chat Noir. Help me give them the ultimatum. They must give up their masks or give up their fame. Chat Noir talks of dreams and achieving them. Well, did he tell you that oftentimes you must lie and deceive to achieve those dreams? Especially if you have no connections. If Chat Noir truly was eighteen when he reached out to the miraculous company and truly didn’t use any of his father’s help. How the hell did he get so famous? I’ll tell you how. He lied. He talks big words with empty promises, but everyone always falls for the kid with the sob story. Don’t fall for his tricks Paris, don’t fall for his lies. Use your rational sense. Who do you truly think is the villain here? Someone who has lied to all of his fans and who knows who else? Or someone who is responsible enough to get on primetime news twice and is telling you all the truth about these celebrities?”_ Hawkmoth gave a look at the camera that almost looked sympathetic. 

_“I hope I have opened your eyes to the truth and truly see not to believe everything you hear, just because it’s said by someone that you like. I hope that this is the last time I appear before you and that Ladybug and Chat Noir will come forward and get rid of the masks, but who knows. It seems like they will do anything to keep their identities safe, which is quite a pointless notion if you ask me._

_“Chat Noir even told his fans himself that he’d reveal one day. Why not now? I’ll step down, we’d be able to fact check your claim about your father, all of your problems will be solved.”_ Hawkmoth said, looking straight at him it seemed. Which was crazy, but there was something in his eyes that unnerved Adrien. _“And if your father is as terrible as you claim, hating celebrities from a young age, what makes you think that will change? No matter when you reveal, Chat Noir, your father will remain your father. Supportive or not.”_

Adrien gulped, because the thing was, Hawkmoth was right. No matter what, Gabriel Agreste would always hate celebrities and therefore, always hate him once he came forward as Chat Noir. 

_“That is unfortunately, all the time I have for you today, Paris. I bid you good day and hope you will take the information I have provided you with to heart.”_

With that, the screen turned black. Adrien blinked at the screen, took in a deep breath, and tried his hardest not to scream.

“Wow.” Nino said next to him.

“I know.” 

“God, that’s absolutely terrible. I hope Chat Noir can prove that he’s innocent.” Nino said. 

“Me too.” Was his voice shaky? It seemed like his voice was shaky. 

“I have a feeling it’ll take more than an inspirational rant to come back from this one.” 

“Me too.” Adrien muttered. 

He’d have to talk to Plagg about this and make sure that Ladybug was okay. She didn’t exactly get off scot free and Hawkmoth could’ve ranted about her before Nino and Adrien turned it on.

“You know, I’m not normally one to dive into tabloids, but,” Nino cleaned his glasses. “I have a feeling that we won’t be able to escape this story.”

“Yeah. I wish we could.” He really, really wished that he could.

“Life is strange like that.” Nino patted Adrien’s shoulder. “It’ll all work out in the end, I promise.”

 _‘Don’t make promises you can’t keep.’_ Adrien thought to himself.

“Yeah.” He said aloud. 

“I’m gonna head back now, call Alya and see if I can get her a calm down. You gonna be okay?” Nino asked. Adrien nodded, although it was far from the truth. 

“I’ll talk to you later.”Adrien said, almost numb. He flopped down in his seat and put his head in his hand. He let out a muffled scream.

This was a problem and a very large one.

Of course, Adrien could just tell the truth, which was that he truly had been able to set everything up in a week. He had been able to do it with Ladybug, after all.

On the bright side, he didn’t have to be worried about Ladybug calling the meeting off because it wasn’t necessary anymore, It would most definitely be necessary for them to meet now. It seemed more obvious than ever that she needed to get some sort of address to the public.

He hoped that he would be able to convince her to film a video. She needed to be able to get her word out to the public. Maybe he could pull some strings and get an exclusive interview with somebody? Wouldn’t it be ironic if he managed to snag the same time slot and the same studio that Hawkmoth had? Of course, the videos had come out at different times, but it would still have some level of satisfaction in seeing Ladybug sit behind the same desk Hawkmoth sat at? Oh, it would be beautiful. He could totally teach her about how to address the public too! He'd show her the ropes and give her tips on how to not come off as defensive and accusatory.

Then she could defend herself and refute Hawkmoth’s claims. Hopefully, it would succeed and they would be able to prove their innocence. Hawkmoth wouldn’t have any more ammo to use against her and it would all work out perfectly fine. 

As far as his case goes, he wasn’t so lucky. Hawkmoth had backed him into a corner. Unless he showed the contract photos he wouldn’t be able to prove his innocence and if he showed his contact photos then he would show his name and Hawkmoth would get what he wanted.

But, Hawkmoth had a point. Why does Adrien hide behind a mask if he was just going to take it off one day? He knows that his father would never approve of him so why is he procrastinating whisking his mask off? 

Because he was a coward. He might’ve been on his own for five years, but in many ways, he was still a kid. He still wanted his father’s approval, even if he knew he was never going to get it. He didn’t want to hear the anger and disappointment in his father’s voice when he was talking about him. 

He knew that this was a problem. A very big problem that couldn’t be avoided, but he didn’t know how to fix it. He’d have to talk to Plagg about it. He really hoped that he would have a solution. Or maybe that Ladybug would. It would be nice to have a game plan. He had been so sure of himself too! Lured into a false sense of security because of the positive feedback on his video, then Hawkmoth struck. Why did he think he’d be able to get away with this again? 

Because he truly believed that he was a good person. He had earned his fame not by lies or deceit. In fact, he was willing to bet money that Hawkmoth was the one tricking people into giving him not one, but two news slots on mainstream channels. What a hypocrite.

Unfortunately, there was nothing Adrien could do about it. They would be stuck in this never ending cycle of “he said, she said” with the only way to escape was for him to remove his mask or to prove Hawkmoth was doing something illegal. 

One thing was for sure, this was far from over.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *sips tea and waits*


	15. Chapter 15

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The wait is finally over!

Marinette walked briskly to the address Chat Noir had sent her. Well, she wasn't Marinette right now, she was Ladybug. She had decided to take Chat Noir's advice and go with the black pants, and red and black spotted sleeveless sweater. A pair of red flats and a handmade cloth mask completed the ensemble.

She was worried about Chat. When Hawkmoth had posted his video, there had luckily been a lull in customers so the staff gathered around to watch it on Alya's phone. She was worried and pissed. How dare Hawkmoth accuses her of being racists and homophobic! She was Asian and a bisexual!

Not that he knew that, but still. It was insulting to think someone would make such claims of her. Her being like that was so wrong in her mind that when he first said it, she almost laughed, almost. Then the pure rage settled in.

Then, he backed Chat Noir into a corner. Marinette had spent all night looking for Chat's first video and it proved that Hawkmoth was telling the truth. Still, he may have his facts straight, but his claims were false. At least, she hoped they were. 

No, they were fake, they had to be fake! Chat Noir was able to organize this entire meetup in a week, why wouldn't it be the same case for making his new video? He didn't have to have a studio when he created the video, just a place to film and Plagg. It doesn't necessarily mean that he had everything he did now when he first started out. Marinette certainly hadn't. She still had to get her parents signatures for her to publish her book, seeing as she was only sixteen at the time, but they thought it was one of her online books that she had published, not that she was Ladybug.

She wanted to tell them one day. She would tell them one day, after Hawkmoth was gone.

She stopped in front of the door that Chat Noir said was his studio.

"You can do this Ladybug. You've been emailing him all week and you know what a good person is. You can do this." She was still nervous, there were far too many butterflies in her stomach for her liking, but she wasn't going to second guess herself now. Her and Chat Noir needed each other. "Just open the door Ladybug, that's all you need to do is open the door." She squeezed her eyes shut and then opened up the door.

"Ladybug!" A man's voice said. It was different from his videos, but it was still plenty recognizable. She opened her eyes to see Chat Noir standing behind the counter, wearing his standard outfit, including the mask.

"Hey Chat Noir." She started walking towards him. It was very dark in the studio, except for where the kitchen was.

"Wait careful there are-." Just then, she tripped over a chord falling to the ground. 

"Sorry, I'm madly clumsy." She said as Chat Noir walked over to her.

"It's not your fault, I did the same thing the first time I filmed here. Let me turn some lights on."  
The studio lights flickered on overhead. "That's better." He walked over to her, his green eyes peering down at her.

"Thank you." She said as he outstretched a hand to help her up.

"It's not a problem." He shook her hand. "Hey, it's nice to finally meet you." He winked. She bit back a chuckle.

"Likewise. How are you feeling?" She asked him.

"Like Hawkmoth has gotten one step ahead of us, I honestly don't know what to do." He let go of her hand.

"I get it, I can't believe he had the nerve to call me a racist and a homophobe." She shook her head.

"Yeah, like does he not realize most of your characters have representation for minorities and those who don't have some other sort of representation?"

"I highly doubt he's even read my books." She scoffed.

"I bet he hasn't. What a loser, doesn't he have anything better to do than to try and destroy us kids?" He shook his head.

"I know! I'm not even in university yet."

"Oh, you're still in lycee?" He asked her. "You look older than that." That time she actually did giggle.

"No, I'm twenty-one. I've been saving up for university." He blinked, surprised.

"Is the university you want to go to really that expensive?" She nodded.

"When you want to go eight years for fashion design, then to a different one for another eight years in creative writing, bills stack up quick." Chat Noir let a whistle.

"At least you're dedicated. My father just made me get a bachelor's degree in criminology and sent me out to the field."

"Criminology?" Ladybug asked. "That's really cool! My best friend's boyfriend is a detective."

"I'm glad you think so. It's not my favorite thing in the world, but fitting all the pieces of a puzzle to create a whole picture is incredibly satisfying."

"I'm sure it is! It's like when you finally figure out how all of the small pieces of a plot come together and create a picture! It's a total ah-ha! Moment."

"Yes! Exactly!" Chat grinned before it fell. "I just hope I can continue being Chat Noir and work in criminology."

"We'll find something, I'm sure." Ladybug told him.

"Yeah, maybe, but let's focus on you first okay?" He said. "Now here let me lead you to the kitchen, this area is a minefield, even with the lights on. If that's okay, of course." Ladybug nodded and his hand slipped into hers.

She fought down the blush. Chat Noir was very kind.

He also wasn't hard to look at. She could definitely understand why he had so many fangirls and his green eyes were even more bright in person.

"Thank you." She said once they were behind the counter.

"Yeah of course. So, I know you already said that you wouldn't want to set up a blog, but we need to get your public address out." He said. His demeanor was totally different from his videos. Instead of joking and laughing around while cooking, he seemed perfectly serious.

It was nice to know that he was taking things seriously, even if it was unnerving to see it.

"But, what about you?" Chat Noir waved off her hand.

"We'll worry about it later Ladybug, but yesterday's video made it clear that you need to get a speech out now. Otherwise Hawkmoth is only going to get worse."

"I know, but you need to do something too! I was looking to fact-check Hawkmoth last night and the comments on your videos?" Ladybug shook her head.

"I know, but I already had a chance at retaliation, it's your turn. If you're nervous about speaking in public, then I could totally give you tips." She smiled.

"Thank you Chat Noir, that's really nice of you."

"Well, we're partners now, we've gotta stick up for each other." Ladybug nodded. It was nice to know that there was someone else out there who understood.

"Yeah, we will."

"So, you'll let me coach you on reaching out to the public?" He said with childlike enthusiasm. The grin on his face was actually pretty cute.

"Why not?" She smiled. "Let's do it!"

"Yes!" Chat Noir jumped up with his fist.

"So, what's first?"

"Well the first thing is to understand that anything you say can and will be used against you." Ladybug raised her eyebrow.

"You sure you aren't mixing up your jobs?" She asked.

"I'm pawsitive." He winked. Ladybug groaned.

"And here come the cat puns."

"What, you really thought that you'd be able to meet and hang out with the great Chat Noir and get no cat puns? You are mistaken, buginette." He boasted. She gave him a look.

"Buginette?"

"Yeah, like a bug, but inette behind it." She wrinkled up her nose. It was a bit too much like her civilian name for her liking.

"Fine, then kitty." She smirked.

"I love it." He said, with complete seriousness. She chuckled and shook her head.

"You're impossible." She said, shaking her head.

"Impawsible." He corrected.

"We'll agree to disagree on that." She told him.

"Fine, not my fault if you can't understand true art."

"I don't think puns classify as true art, kitty." She said.

"How could you say that buginette?" He asked, shell shocked. They glanced at each other before bursting into laughter. 

"So, I have to be careful about what I say. Got it." She told him.

"Yes, that's imperative to success. After all, if I hadn't announced my age I wouldn't have been backed into a corner." Ladybug squeezed his shoulder.

"It'll be alright."

"Yeah I certainly hope so."

"Anyway, what's the second thing that you need to tell me?"

"Well, you don't want to only accuse Hawkmoth, as easy as it may be, you need to justify yourself first before you attack him."

"That'll be tricky."

"Tell me about it, but unfortunately, it must be done."

"So, what's the third thing?"

"The third thing is that you have to be sure that you cover all of your bases, don't leave anything not talked about because if you do, guess what?"

"Hawkmoth will attack me for it?"

"Hawkmoth will attack you for it." Chat nodded his head. Ladybug groaned.

"Why did this have to happen to us?" She asked. Chat Noir shrugged.

"I don't know, maybe it's because of our masks? I'm not sure." Ladybug huffed.

"You think people would respect our wishes." She crossed her arms.

"Well unfortunately, people will be people and they're going to want to know everything about their favorite celebrities."

"Yes because I totally want my fans to completely disrespect me." She shook her head.

"Yes because I totally want my fans to completely disrespect me." She shook her head.

"I know that it absolutely sucks."

"Have issues with creepy stalkers check!" Ladybug joked. Chat laughed.

"Just another reason why our masks are important." Ladybug nodded.

"Yeah, I'd rather not have fans watching my every move."

"I mean, we're guaranteed to have at least one really creepy fan who's, like, obsessed with our hair particles and want to collect it for our dolls." Ladybug shuddered.

"That would be an absolute nightmare."

"Or how about that fan that screams 'marry me Ladybug!' in the streets."

"That's terrible!" She said laughing. Chat Noir gasped.

"But Ladybug, their creepy obsession with you is true love? How could you deny them an outlet for their toxicity?" He put his hand over his heart.

"Ugh, don't get me started. I've gotten several of those emails already." She rolled her eyes, remembering all the times an admirer would email her.

"Wait, seriously? I was completely joking." Chat Noir said, his green eyes shimmering with concern.

"You haven't gotten a proposal of mad love yet?" She asked him.

"Alright, touche. I've gotten way too many 'confessions.'" He said with air quotes.

"Yeah, that's what I thought, especially with your fanbase." Chat Noir nodded.

"Price of fame I guess."

"The price of fame sucks." Ladybug said.

"Yeah, it does, but doesn't seeing our true fans make it worth it?" He asked.

"Yeah it really does." Ladybug thought as Alya came into her mind.

"They make dealing with the creepy ones so much better, plus getting to be the source of people's inspiration is honestly amazing." Ladybug nodded.

"I completely agree. I once met this girl who said that I was the reason that she started writing."

"Really?" Chat asked.

"Yep! And I made sure to buy her book as soon as it went out on the market." Chat Noir smiled.

"That's really nice of you Ladybug."

"It was the least I could do. Her writing was also really good."

"What book is it? I could add it to my list of books to read."

"It's called _When In Rome_." Ladybug said. Chat Noir took out his phone and typed something on it.

"Got it. Thanks!" He said smiling at her.

"No problem kitty." He smiled.

"So, another tip of advice for talking to the public is to write out your speech first and memorize it. You'll have time to make corrections that way." Ladybug nodded.

"Yeah I'll definitely have to work on it."

"Alright well, we could maybe set up your blog now, if you'd like. I have my computer with me." Ladybug bit her lip.

"I'm still not sure about starting up an entire blog." Chat Noir hummed.

"Maybe you can post teasers for your books there and feature fanart and fanfiction. It could just be a website about you and your books, not about your life." He suggested.

"Actually, that's not a bad idea." She smiled. "I've gotten several emails reaching out to me talking about something like that."

"You could also post book reviews on there and writing tips!" Chat was nearly jumping up and down.

"It sounds great kitty, thank you."

"Of course Ladybug! It's honestly an honor to work with you. You're such a popular author."

"You're just as famous as I am." Ladybug bumped him playfully. He chuckled.

"I guess so, but I don't really believe it quite yet."

"I know how that feels, I honestly don't know what I did to get so popular."

"You're talented. You have incredible ideas and you're so creative with them, it's really admirable." That got her face to heat up.

"Thank you Chat Noir. The same goes for you, you know. You totally deserve your status of top celebrity chef. Trust me, I've tried some of your recipes before. They are absolutely delicious." She told him.

"Really?" He scratched his neck. "Thank you."

"Of course! My favorite has got to be your green chile chicken enchilada casserole. I absolutely love spicy food." She said. Chat chuckled.

"Yeah, that's definitely a fan favorite."

"What's your favorite recipe?" Ladybug asked. Chat hummed in thought.

"I'm not sure actually. Maybe the dumplings?" He shrugged.

"Those dumplings were delicious and I'm Asian so I know how to make a good dumpling." She said.

"Well, I'm very glad that I have your approval. I always try to use authentic ingredients when I'm cooking foods of different cultures, it helps with the taste and just makes me feel like a good person. Does that sound like I'm conceited?" He started to ramble.

"No, not at all. It makes you sound like you care about giving other cultures proper representation." She reassured him.

"Well, I'm glad. The passion fruit cheesecake is my favorite dessert recipe." He told her.

"Oh really?"

"Yep, passion fruit is my favorite and Plagg really adores cheese so we settled on a happy medium." He told her.

"That's actually really cool." She told him. "Very considerate of you, I adore cheesecake too."

"I'll have to teach you on how to make it sometime. If you'd like that?" Chat Noir asked.

"I totally would!" Ladybug said, smiling.

"Okay great! I will! After we set up your blog."

"Of course, the blog comes first."

"Anything to convince Hawkmoth that he's wrong and we're right." Chat shrugged.

"And to convince the public that he's a salty old man with nothing better to do." She said.

"That too." Chat grabbed his laptop out of a drawer on the counter.

"Whoa, is that always there?" He nodded.

"Yeah in case I forget a recipe or something I can look it up on here, plus I can help with editing on this computer, it has all the gadgets." He said patting the computer.

"It sounds perfect for launching my blog." She said smiling.

"That's because it is purrfect." She sighed and he chuckled, opening up his computer. "Ready to start?" He asked her.

"As ready as I'll ever be." 


	16. Chapter 16

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ladybug and Chat Noir try and create a website, but keep getting sidetracked.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy the fluff!

"So, I know that you said that you didn't want a blog, but have you ever thought of one?" Chat Noir asked.

"Like, what I want it to look like?" Ladybug tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.

"Yeah! I mean, you obviously want something ladybug themed, but do you want the spots? Or do you want just the red and black color scheme?" Ladybug bit her lip.

"Um, I'm not sure. I really haven't looked into graphic design."

"That's okay!" Chat flashed her a smile that made relief fill her.

He just had that contagious happiness that Ladybug had always found annoying until now.

"Think about it like designing a ladybug themed clothing line, only it's a website. I'm sure you know about what looks good and what doesn't. Apply that creativity to this." Chat told her, still grinning. 

"Yeah, thank you." She gave him a look that was almost shy, hoping that it'll fight down a bit of nerves that were still in her stomach.

Chat Noir had been nothing but respectful and kind and they had already shared quite a few laughs together. Talking with him was very easy, even easier than talking to Alya for the first time was. That was saying something, because Alya had made her feel like she really belonged at Slice of Paradise and was incredibly welcome. Chat Noir had the same effect on her. He made her feel like she could call him up and rant to him.

"So, Ms. Designer what do you think? Spots or just the color scheme?" Ladybug thought about what she would do for a design.

"Well, I would want to have spots be the main point of the outfit with black and red details." She said.

"As seen in your outfit." He nodded to what she was wearing.

"Yeah. Or like, a spotted dress with a black jacket and red accents." Ladybug said, already thinking of the design.

"Sounds great! So, the main point of the website would be the banner. We could have that be the spotted background and then have a white print to stand out." Chat said. "Then we could have red headers and black text." Ladybug nodded.

"Yeah! That sounds really nice. Maybe some ladybug's scattered around the website too."

"Totally. Maybe when someone has reached the end of a post?" Chat asked. Ladybug nodded.

"That sounds great!"

"Okay, so what about typography?" He asked. She just gave him a blank look.

"Would you be annoyed if I didn't know what that is?" She asked, embarrassed. Chat shook his head.

"Not at all! I didn't even know what it was until I launched my website. Basically it's the different types of text fonts and the colors that you want to use. Luckily, we've already got the colors down and I have several fonts we can look over. The fonts will be easy for people with dyslexia to read, but they're different enough that if people see them, they will think of your website." Chat explained.

"Oh, that's really cool of you Chat."

"What is? I want to be able to make sure nobody feels left out of my space."

Ladybug fought down something in her chest. It was warmth and unfamiliar to her.

"That's sweet." She said. 

"Really? You think so?"

"Of course! Not everyone would take that extra step to do something inconvenient for them so they can welcome more people into their space." Chat Noir scratched his neck sheepishly. It was something that Ladybug was realizing he did a lot.

"I guess it's because I've never really got to follow any of the celebrities. My father would only make me listen to classical music and small bands, which some of them were actually pretty great, but I didn't get a lot of pop culture references on the rare instance I got out of the house."

Was it possible to have never met a person, but still want to sack them? Ladybug supposed it was, because while she had never met either man, both Hawkmoth and Chat's father were quickly joining Lila on the list of people who she would like to knock some sense into.

"I never wanted any kid feeling that way. Isolated from others because of something out of their control. That's why all of my videos have accurate closed captioning for kids who can't hear well, and I'm working on getting someone who can describe what I'm doing for kids who are blind. It doesn't take much to be kind."

Ladybug was blown away. She had met plenty of influencers in the years she was famous, but only some had gone the extra mile like Chat was. And she was pretty sure those few individuals were only doing it so they could look good on paper, not out of the good of their hearts like Chat.

"That's amazing."

She always knew that her and Chat didn't deserve what Hawkmoth was throwing at them, but this just solidified it in her mind that Chat Noir was the person who deserved this the least.

"It's the least I can do. I want to be able to bring a smile on as many people's faces as I can."

"That's incredibly selfless Chat. Most of the people that I've met don't do any of the things you are and those who do are doing it for all the wrong reasons."

"I guess that even if it's impossible, I want to at least try to change my father's opinions of celebrities. I want him to understand that while yes, sometimes celebrities can act a lot differently to suit this image of themselves not all of us are like that. Most of us genuinely care and are people too. Even underneath the masks we wear whether that's hypothetical or metaphorical. Everyone has got masks." Chat Noir told her, with a grin on his face and his green eyes locked with hers.

Ladybug was utterly blown away by his speech. Memories of her telling Alya she wasn't a fan of him came to her mind and she wanted to shake her past self. He had earned those fans not for being cocky and cute, but for being incredibly kind as well. She took it all back. Every time she didn't want to watch one of his videos because she thought he was stuck up. Every time she just rolled her eyes as Alya told her about his newest video. She took it all back.

"You should use that in your next video." She whispered after a few seconds of silence.

"You think so? I was just saying what was on my mind." He grinned.

"Definitely. It'll blow them all away! Plus, the symbolism of you wearing a physical mask when everyone else has metaphorical ones is just." Ladybug did a chef's kiss.

"Of course you would know about symbolism Ms. Best-Selling Author."

"Symbolism is incredibly important to tell the story! It'll give readers an extra depth and can provoke strong emotions on re-reads. You can't tell me you've never had that feeling when all of the dots connect to create one amazing picture."

"Oh, I totally have. I grew up watching animated shows and reading books since anything live-action more often than not had some famous person in it. Symbolism is great, but I definitely prefer foreshadowing." Chat said.

"Foreshadowing is always so much fun to write and it's a joy to see as a fan when you come back to that piece of media."

"It truly is one of my favorite things to see. There are so many things that just fly over our heads on the first read that we don't realize until the second one." Ladybug nodded. 

"I definitely agree with you there Chat."

"We got really off topic." He suddenly said. Ladybug laughed.

"I guess so."

"Anyway back on track. We've got our overall design down, what sort of tabs would you like on your website?"

"Like what different sections?" Ladybug asked.

"Yeah! Mine has an about me page, the main page where I have my videos, one where I have my recipes-."

"A merch tab and a tab where you post fans using your recipes. I know." Ladybug smiled.

"Well, that is a bit of a relief I have to say." Chat Noir winked. "I'd hate to think you walked into this being underpurrpared." Ladybug deadpanned.

"I should've expected that, shouldn't I?" She shook her head. There had been less puns than he had in his videos after all.

"Prefurably." He grinned. "Puns are an art form and one that I dabble in quite often."

"I know." Ladybug grumbled. "They're the cheesiest things I've ever heard and I have had to sit through many kid shows while babysitting."

"Hmph, you just don't understand the clawsomeness of purrfectly timed puns." Chat crossed his arms.

"Didn't you already use purr?" Ladybug raised an eyebrow. Chat just waved her off.

"I'm working with limited pawsibilities. Give me a break."

“Hmmm, no, I don’t think I will.” She smirked. Chat’s jaw drop.

“Did you just meme at me, buginette?” He asked her. Ladybug giggled.

His expression was kinda cute.

Of course, she had always known he was attractive, but she had managed to look past that before she really knew him because she thought his personality was something for the camera. But, now that she knew that he was even sweeter than some of the desserts he’s made, it was harder to ignore. Still, it didn’t mean anything!

It was just a fact that Chat Noir was an attractive man.

No reason for her cheeks to heat up. No reason at all.

Especially because he used a nickname that was incredibly reminiscent of her civilian one.

It was just warm in the studio, that’s all.

“Maybe, maybe not.” Almost on an instinct she reached forward and bopped his nose.

“Huzzah, a woman of culture.” He grinned.

“Why am I not surprised that you would know memes like the back of your hand?”

“Because that’s just how I roll, buginette.” He winked. She shook her head.

“That nickname is here to stay, isn’t it?” She asked. Chat grinned.

“Afraid so. Unless it makes you uncomfortable, then I’ll drop it. Does it make you uncomfortable?” He asked nervously. Ladybug smiled softly and shook her head.

Even if it was very similar to Marinette, it was a rather cute nickname and she honestly kinda liked him giving her a nickname.

“Okay, good, I’m glad.” He nodded his head.

“You’re okay with me calling you kitty and other cat-related nicknames, right?” She asked. She suspected that the answer would be positive, but it was always better safe than sorry.

Sure enough, Chat Noir nodded his head enthusiastically.

“Yeah of course! I’ve never really had a nickname before.” He scratched the back of his neck sheepishly. Ladybug shrugged.

“I’ve had a few with friends that we kinda danced around romantic relationships before, but that’s really it. Of course, besides the common, ‘girl!’ that I get from my best friend.” She smiled.

“That’s the one who just started the relationship with the one guy, right? You wrote about her in your emails.” Ladybug blinked, surprised he still remembered that.

“Yeah. I didn’t think you’d remember her.” Chat Noir shrugged casually, but Ladybug could’ve sworn she saw a hint of redness under his mask.

“Well, she went on a date the same night my best friend went on, so I thought that it was a pretty cool coincidence.” Ladybug nodded.

“Yeah that is pretty cool.” She smiled up at him, their eyes locked together.

“So! Back on track, what tabs do you want?” He said, breaking their contact.

Ladybug had to fight down the tiny bit of disappointment.

Why was she disappointed?

Chat Noir only wanted them to get back on track so he could help her sooner.

Maybe it was because she wanted to keep on just casually talking to him. He was a good companion to have.

Yeah, that had to be it!

What else could it possibly be?

Nothing. Nothing else.

She needed to clear her head and get back to the website.

“Well, I think that an About Me page is very clever.” She said. “It’ll be a good introduction for people who don’t really know me.”

“Well, you are a bit of an enigma to the entirety of Paris. Nobody really knows a whole lot about you.”

“That’s one of the reasons Hawkmoth was able to attack me the way he did.” Ladybug sighed.

Chat Noir reached over and squeezed her shoulder.

“It’ll be alright. If you post just one photo of you in this get-up, people will be able to tell that you are of Asian descent.” He paused, hesitating the slightest bit. “If you don't mind telling me, what ethnicity is it? Like specifically?” He asked.

“I don’t mind.” Ladybug told him. “ I’m half-Chinese on my mother’s side.”

“Really?” Chat Noir had a huge grin on his face. “I actually know Mandarin! My father signed me up for it and it’s one of the things that I actually enjoyed doing that he signed me up for.” Ladybug chuckled sheepishly.

“That’s really cool, Chat. You learning Mandarin that is, not your father forcing you to join all these activities you didn’t want to do.”

“It’s okay.” He shrugged. “It gave me plenty of life experiences and it helped deal with the boredom of me being stuck in the house all the time. If it wasn’t for those lessons I might’ve actually lost it.”

“I can think of quite a few people who still would’ve lost it. You have a lot in you, kitty.” She complimented.

“Why thank you buginette.” The smile that he gave her warmed her up, just a bit.

“Of course! So an About Me page, one where I post articles,” She counted the tabs on her fingers.

“Maybe one about book reviews?” Ladybug nodded.

“Yeah definitely! That’s a great idea. It’ll give others a boost and it’ll help me further my writing as well.”

“Okay great! Those are three tabs so far. That’s definitely a good start for a website and we can always work on more over email. I’ll share the link with you and typefaces and whatnot. I can send you some tutorials too.” 

Is our time really almost over?” Ladybug asked, surprised that time had flown by as fast as it had.

“You know what they say! Time flies when you’re having fun!” Chat said, mirroring her own thoughts.

“Definitely. Are we going to meet next week as well?” Ladybug asked, hopefully.

“I’ll talk with Plagg about it, but I don’t see why not. This studio is kinda reserved for me.” He chuckled. Ladybug let out a whistle.

“Wow, how impressive.”

“Comes with the territory of being one of Paris’ top celebrities.” 

“I suppose so, I have gotten plenty of discounts when I order online and accidentally use my Ladybug email.” She said.

“I always feel guilty when they do that. Like, I’m very honored and whatnot, but I feel like I shouldn’t take away opportunities from others.”

“Yeah definitely. I always try to send the authors anonymous tips to make up for the discount.” Chat Noir whistled.

“Wow, that’s, really great. A lot of people wouldn’t do that.” He said.

“Well, a lot of people wouldn’t spend time on different text-faces for dyslexic people.” Chat laughed.

“I guess so.”

“This was great Chat Noir, really. Thanks for setting this up, I feel a lot better about everything now.” She told him.

“Yeah of course! Let’s do this again soon yeah?”

“Yeah definitely!”

“Let me help you with the wires again.” He offered her his hand.

She couldn’t help but grin as she put her hand in his.

“Thanks.” She said.

“Not a problem, buginette.”

As Ladybug exited the studio she felt a lot calmer about Hawkmoth. She felt like her and Chat Noir could take him on and find a solution. This blog was going to be great. She wouldn’t have to update it all the time, but it would be nice for her fans to know more about her.

Sure, she had done interviews before, but those were always brief and didn’t reveal much about her. Plus, they were always done over the phone. Nobody even knew what she looked like. Well, besides Tikki and Chat Noir.

She felt her phone buzz not even five minutes after leaving the studio, she looked down and saw that it was an email from Chat Noir.

She smiled.

Yeah, this would be great. 


	17. Chapter 17

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marinette figures out how to address Hawkmoth.

Whenever Marinette had writers block, there were certain things she could do to overcome it. She would go outside and walk around Paris, looking for inspiration. While she was working on _Capsize_ she would look up other summer camp themed media so she could get motivation to have her book join them. She had watched Friday the 13th so many times not only had she stopped loathing horror movies, but she had memorized the dialogue.

Working on her blog however? She didn't know what she could do to try and get over the nerves preventing her from writing. She had already scoured popular blogs, including Chat Noir's, and had looked up tutorials about how someone would create theirs.

But it hadn't helped. If anything, it had made her more nervous. What if she took to the inspiration a little bit too much and people accused her of copying? What if she didn't do enough trends and people accused her of being out of fashion and that she didn't deserve her fans? What if everyone judged her for what she said? For her looks? For her personality? What if everyone hated her because she contradicted the image of Ladybug they had in their heads? What if-?

"Marinette? You want to tell me what you're thinking about?" Her best friend's voice broke her out of her thoughts.

"What do you mean, Alya?" She flashed her a nervous smile.

"I mean that I know you well enough to know when you're overthinking about something. You have that 'overthinking face on'. Come on, tell your bestie what's up."

"I do not have an overthinking face." Marinette pouted and crossed her arms.

"Uh, yeah you do! Your eyes get all wide and your lips turn into a barely there frown, but it increases as time goes on." Marinette opened and closed her mouth.

"Okay fine, maybe I do have an overthinking face-"

"You totally do."

"But I wasn't overthinking about anything!" Marinette protested. Alya raised an eyebrow and glanced over at Marinette's laptop screen.

"You've been staring at that empty page for five minutes now."

"And?" Marinette asked.

"And you're normally not one to do something like that. Add that to your over-thinking face and it's pretty obvious that you're dreading something, girl. Now, tell me all about it." Marinette sighed.

She wished she could tell Alya about her problems as Ladybug, she really did! But, she couldn't. The timing wasn't right. Hawkmoth had attacked her multiple times at this point and she didn't know when it would happen again. Even if Alya was on Ladybug's side 100% now, what if something happened and Hawkmoth learned who she was?

That didn't mean that she didn't feel guilty however. It was practically eating her up inside. Especially now, as they sat on Marinette's couch together so they could enjoy their Saturday's together. 

However, Alya had some things for her night school to finish up and so Marinette had taken that opportunity to start and draft on what her "All About Me" page would look like.

If only she could figure out what to say.

"It's, uh, a surprise!" Marinette said.

It technically wasn't a lie. Hopefully, it would be a good surprise to all her fans that she had a blog now.

"A surprise?" Alya repeated. Marinette nodded her head wildly.

"Yep! And you wouldn't want to spoil it would you?" She asked, seemingly innocent. Alya hummed in consideration.

"I supposed not, but if you need any advice, you know I'm your girl." Alya winked.

"I know Alya, but you should get your work done. The sooner you get it done the sooner we can put on a show."

"Sounds great! Can we do a baking competition? I'm in the mood for disastrous bakes." She smirked.

"Fine, but if we get hungry you're the one who's making the snacks." Marinette relented.

"What? But you're the one who grew up in a bakery!" Alya pouted. Marinette just waved her off.

"Your mother has been head chef for how many years? You've gotta learned something from her."

"You're right, but that doesn't mean that I like it." Marinette giggled at her friend.

"Just finish your essay."

"Fine by me. And you use that crazy creative brain I know you have in there to figure out this surprise." Marinette sighed.

"I'll try Alya, I'll try."

**Hello all my bugheads!**

Marinette typed out, using the name that her fandom had appointed to their members. She had her own fandom now!

**As you can see I have started up my own blog! I may not be posting a huge amount, but I'll be giving tips, reviews, and even sneak peeks about future projects!**

So far, so good. It was honest and shared with them what she was planning to do with the site.

**Now a bit about me...**

This was the tricky part. How much was too much? How much was too little? She had to find this perfect balance that other blogs didn't have to worry about because if she so much as breathed the wrong way, Hawkmoth would come and accuse her of something or other.

**I started writing when I was very young and published my first book when I was 16! For all my young writers still in their teens out there, you can do this! Don't give up!**

She knew it was probably a good idea to not put her age out on the internet, but it wasn't like she had claimed her parents weren't supporting her. They had signed the waiver for her to work with the company, even if they didn't realize it was under an alias.

Her parents had always been so supportive and she knew that she was lucky. Even more so after meeting Chat Noir and realizing just what a jerk his father was. Yet, he had managed to overcome it and become a wonderful person. And that wonderful person was going the extra mile to help her set up this blog! She needed to do this, not only for her fans, not only for herself, but for him as well. She certainly didn't want all his help to go to waste.

**I love fashion design as well! It was one of the reasons Charity White was a fashion designer herself. I wanted to share both of my passions with all of you lovely readers. I actually do in fact make my own clothes and accessories. Of course, some of my wardrobe is store-bought, but I love designing things for friends and family!**

That wasn't too much, right? It wasn't too personal or too childish for her to design clothes right?

 _'None of your fans thought Charity was childish.'_ She reminded herself. _'But what if they get offended that I have multiple passions instead of just the one?'_ She fretted. _'Then they are absolute jerks with double standards since people most likely have more than one passion.'_ She tried to console herself.

She bit her lip and tried to figure out what else to say.

'You should probably talk about the situation with Hawkmoth!' Her brain reminded her.

Right... that. The whole reason why she started this in the first place.

**As far as the ordeal with Hawkmoth goes: I want you all to know that I was asked to critique Mlle. Rossi. Someone had asked about her articles in an interview and after reading a few of them I decided that I didn't want to have my fans look up to someone who would blatantly lie about me and her. Several of her articles claimed that her and I had met before and were very close friends. I had never heard of her until that interview and unless it was a quick meeting at a convention that I was attending, I had never met her as Ladybug.**

**That is why I decided to be honest with you all, because you had deserved it. I don't like people using my name for clout and I would've reacted the same if it was anyone lying about me. Mlle. Rossi was only the first instance of this and Hawkmoth decided to make one comment my entire character. As I'm sure many of you know, one comment does not define you. Your repeated actions do. Seeing Mlle. Rossi's lying problem happened rather often, I felt like it needed to be spoken of.**

**The other claims Hawkmoth has made against me is that I'm racist and homophobic. This is the literal opposite of who I am. I am half-Chinese thanks to my mom and I am a proud bisexual. Plus, I try to give every single character in my book some sort of representation. If they don't, then they will have representation of a certain event some kids go through.**

**As the Hawkmoth situation continues to unravel, I will post more about it.**

**I also want to tell everyone that merchandise sales are meant to be private. As Chat Noir mentioned in his video, we don't know what those statues are used for. We don't know if they were or a joke or not. Two of them probably went to the Miraculous company. But, Hawkmoth or whoever it was only managed to hack into the first level of our sales. If they had gone any further, they would've gotten everyone's address.**

**For someone who cares a lot about keeping Paris' citizen's safe, Hawkmoth certainly didn't care about using unethical rules and invading everyone's privacy to humiliate them on T.V.**

**Plus the claim of having merch being equal to worship is very outlandish. Many people have bedspreads, stuffed animals, mugs, and more of their favorite sports teams or characters when they are kids. A few of them have the set-up when they're adults.**

**Does that mean that they're suddenly worshiping that person? No! Of course not!**

**Being a fan of someone or something is not the same as worshiping them. Being a Ladybug stan is still not worship! A bit obsessive? Sure, but hey! I've definitely been there before. If you stan one of my characters then I'm glad that I've created someone that you love. Same thing with the kins. As long as you respect me, my characters, and the opinions of others I think that you're in the clear.**

**However, the fans who try and stalk me, who try and hack into my email to trace it to my computer, who beg me to do rather inappropriate actions in emails? That is not respect. That is a behavior that imposes on my privacy and is incredibly creepy.**

**I hope that you all understand where I am coming from. Hawkmoth has demanded for me to unveil myself to the world, and I will one day. But when I have people claiming to be my fans trying to get my address so they can do who knows what to me, I can't risk that. I'm incredibly sorry to everyone who has supported me and truly is a fan and looks up to me, but still respects me and my boundaries. I love you all.**

**I promise that one day I will show you who's behind that Ladybug mask, but for now, I would like you all to try and be patient. Get to know the personality of me before you know the name, because a name does not define us. Nor does one simple comment or something we bought that we probably shouldn't have.**

**We are all human and we all make mistakes. None of us are perfect, no matter how hard we try to be. And Hawkmoth is attacking me for what? Being honest with you guys about my opinions? Warning you to stay away from a bad person?**

**I don't think that makes me this super terrible person that Hawkmoth wants to convince you all that I am. It was my first time giving negative critique and if I was a bit rough on Mlle. Rossi. I do apologize. But, I didn't want to lie to my fans about what I thought. Especially because claiming to know a celebrity online and to be close friends with them is not okay.**

**I'm sorry if I have hurt you Mlle. Rossi, but I said what needed to be said. Lying is not something I can condone. I would instead advise you to start being honest in your articles and once you are I would happily give you another review.**

**I would like to conclude this by formally addressing Hawkmoth. I'm not sure who you are or why you're doing this, but I do know this:**

**I am sorry for whatever I did.**

**Whatever happened that made you think that I was this terrible, horrible human being. I am sorry for it. I'm sorry that you have received a bad first impression of me and I would like to know what I could do to change it. I will not give up my identity however, because knowing how I am under the mask doesn't change anything about who I am on the inside.**

**A name is just a name and the person under here is a lot more than just that.**

**-Ladybug**

Marinette blinked at the page. She could've sworn that she had just had an empty document, but now she was staring at a written letter to her fans and enemies. It was almost as if her thought process had turned off completely and whatever was left was down on the page.

She almost didn't want to read what she had written. It was her honest to God emotions that were on that page. All her anger, all her indignation, all her remorse. It scared her, but she needed to get through it before she posted it. Just so that way she didn't have to worry about saying something completely and utterly crazy.

Marinette wrinkled her nose at what she said about Lila, but she kept it there. It was the mature decision to put bad blood aside and respect one another. Even if she didn't respect Marinette or Ladybug. Ah, who needed her anyway?

Still an apology was probably a good idea. Not only to help her look favorable (a thought that made her feel incredibly dirty), but to also help get rid of her conscience that had been yelling at her ever since that fated interview. Maybe an apology is what would put the situation at rest and quiet down the voice in her head.

She certainly needed to get better sleep and it was hard to do that when you had your thoughts yelling at you.

She nearly deleted what she had said about some of her more intense "fans", but then decided to keep it. If Hawkmoth was going to come after her because people were worshiping her she would let it be known that she did not approve of those actions at all.

Plus the few that listened to her and stopped their actions would take a lot of stress out of her and the ones who didn't, what were a few more hate emails when she had an inbox full of them? 

She was still nervous about this, of course she was, but after reading through the letter multiple times she decided that it would be what she would post.

Marinette took a deep breath, copy and pasted her "All About Me" page into her now-complete website and then hit publish.

It was done. There was no turning back now. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I still think I prefer Chat Noir's argument to Ladybug's. However, Chat Noir's argument should be a lot more emotional where Ladybug's is more logical.


	18. Chapter 18

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We get a peak of what's going on inside of Good Ol' Gabe's head.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really need to form an outline on how long this book is going to be...  
> Also this chapter does discuss a more serious crime, so if kidnapping is triggering to you, please please PLEASE skip this chapter.

Gabriel Agreste glared at his computer screen.

Ladybug had finally responded to Hawkmoth's videos. He had expected it, of course, but it would've been nice for her to be silent for a little while longer.

At least this way he had new material to work with.

No matter what she said, he would always be able to twist her words. He didn't spend all that money on a psychology degree for nothing. He knew how to get into people's minds. He knew how he could scare them and make them turn on what they thought were their heroes.

It helped when there was as little information as possible and both Ladybug and Chat Noir had very limited information on them. They could claim all they want that they acted the same with or without the masks, but without their true names, nobody could know if that was a lie or not.

Many celebrities have done that in the past. Acted kind and sweet in front of the cameras only to turn the minute the spotlight was no longer on them. They always got away with it because they were influential and rich.

That was why Gabriel Agreste had always hated celebrities. Half of them had no talent and only got as far as they had because of manipulation.

Celebrities just loved to manipulate people. They would draw you in by being "mysterious", but still seeming like a good person. Ten once they lured you into a false sense of security, they snapped. They would show their true sides to you, but you would be too brainwashed to even understand what was happening.

He recognized Ladybug and Chat Noir's ploy as soon as they started to gain popularity. Anonymous celebrities always got more recognition after all. Once they got their following, there was no doubt in Gabriel's mind that they would abuse their power.

He could not let that happen again.

Not after last time.

Not after Emilie.

That was why he had gone as far as he had.

He was doing this all for her. He would have his revenge. Chat Noir insulting his brand was only the tip of the iceberg. He had been planning this for a long time and he would succeed. He had to. Then his son could finally see sense. He would be a hero!

Someone who was praised for exposing the truth about no good celebrities. Someone who had earned their fame. Not just got it because they cracked a smile and made a cat pun at the camera.

Honestly, it was absurd that Chat Noir was as popular as he was. He didn't do anything, but made some food and did fan service and suddenly he's the top chef! Gabriel would not stand for it. There were plenty of other people who actually deserved fame, like him for example. Every piece of his china was handmade and hand painted. Yet, it wasn't flying off the shelves!

Chat Noir's video had almost ruined him, too. If he hadn't made contracts with certain restaurants who have never had a problem with his dishes, then he would've had to declare bankruptcy. Everything he worked on for years, gone because of one bad review. He had far too much power. He could have ruined Gabriel's entire life in one moment. It was just finally a thing to make him snap. 

Unsurprisingly, it hadn't taken long to expose Chat Noir. Everyone absolutely loved a sob story. If a creator came up with a sob story, oftentimes, people excused their wrongful actions. Chat Noir's sob story just seemed far too convenient for Gabriel's liking. From the out-of-picture mother to the unsupportive father. It was like he had taken all of the classic sob story troupes and mixed it up.

As soon as he realized that, he got to work on researching any little plot hole. Low and behold, unless Chat Noir had created his website, got in touch with his manager, filmed and edited his video within a week, his sob story was false. He really had it coming for him.

Now, he just had to focus on getting Ladybug in a corner. Even if it took him hours of searching through her all too cheesy apology. There wasn't much that he could work with as far as the Lila angle went. Unless he managed to pull up another example of someone who was lying about Ladybug and never got heat for it.

Yes, that could work.

Then he could have more proof of her discriminatory nature. Especially because she claimed that she had never met Mlle. Rossi before.

Oh, that would be quite nice. 

However, that probably wouldn't be enough for an entire news segment. He scanned the article until something caught his eye. What she had said about stans and kins and boundaries. She never had defined boundaries, had she?

She rarely did interviews and seeing as she had no other social media, Gabriel didn't see how she could've defined boundaries. He could definitely spin that to his advantage. Some people were just so gullible and as they spread the news, others won't fact check. Before Ladybug and Chat Noir knew it, they would be ruined.

Ah, the art of spreading fake news and getting into people's minds. It never got old. Plus, none of the news he said was fake. It was exaggerated, sure, a worse case scenario of what could happen, but it was based on fact. And if there was one thing that Gabriel had learned over the years it was that no matter how outlandish the suggestion would be, if it was backed up with even circumstantial evidence, some would believe it. Gullibility was his best friend in this situation.

He was pleased to note the number of hate comments on Chat Noir's videos. His technique of bringing people to light was slowly, but surely working. It was only a matter of time now. The ball was rolling, the paranoia implanted in people's mind.

Gabriel reviewed his list of topics to cover for his next video. Discrimination, no boundaries, and he would have to think up of an excuse for figuring out the merchandise sales. Obviously he couldn't tell the public the truth. That Volpina had managed to hack into their systems. It was too bad that he had to lie, but it was necessary. He had to protect Paris.

He was sure that Volpina could concoct a wonderful story from his outline. There was no doubt that she was just as eager to make Ladybug fall as he was.

As if on a cue, his phone buzzed.

**Volpina: Have you seen the new blog that Ladybug has created?**

**Hawkmoth: Yes. Don't worry about it, I'm looking through it now for something we can use against her.**

**Volpina: Good. Let me know when you are finished and I can start writing up my story.**

**Hawkmoth: Well, first of all you must give me an excuse for seeing the merchandise sales.**

**Volpina: Don't worry, I already had one ready for you. A few hours before you aired, I made sure to post the merchandise sales on an account. Simply say that you found the account and decided to add it in for proof.**

**Hawkmoth: Impressive.**

**Volpina: Of course it is! I'm not about to be caught.**

Gabriel narrowed his eyes. He had never met with Volpina before and didn't know anything about her except for the fact that she had worked with Chris Lahiffe. He certainly wasn't above using criminals as resources. Police sometimes did the exact same thing, after all. They could do all the dirty work for him and he would achieve his goal.

Quite simple.

**Hawkmoth: So I'm assuming you made sure that you couldn't track the account then?**

**Volpina: Yes, anyone who tried would just track it back to a department store computer in a small town in the U.S.**

**Hawkmoth: Good.**

**Hawkmoth: I would also like you to dig up research if anyone else has ever lied about having connections to Ladybug.**

**Volpina: Of course. I'm sure there are some out there.**

**Hawkmoth: Me too. If we can expose her for being cruel to Mlle. Rossi, not not to the others...**

**Volpina: Then Paris will see how she picks favorites and is a liar.**

**Hawkmoth: Exactly.**

**Volpina: Very ironic that she was so cruel to someone for lying, but lies herself.**

**Hawkmoth: Hypocritical if you ask me.**

**Volpina: Yes.**

**Volpina: What else would you like me to write about?**

**Hawkmoth: In her article she mentions something about being a stan and a kin is okay as long as they respect boundaries. Yet, she has never stated boundaries.**

**Volpina: And we can't possibly read her mind to see what is too far.**

**Hawkmoth: Yes, try and get that angle as well.**

**Volpina: Plus, we can add in that we can't really tell if she's Asian and bi as she claims.**

**Hawkmoth: That can definitely be added in.**

**Volpina: Well, I definitely have enough material to create a video.**

**Hawkmoth: Good. Get to work on it quickly. I'm counting on you to give us success.**

**Volpina: Well, it's already working. Merch sales are going down already and there's an upsurge in videos talking badly about them on the internet.**

**Hawkmoth: That's very promising. It's only been a week and a half and it's already spreading around the internet.**

**Volpina: Well, the internet is the internet. As soon as it finds the next big thing it gets spread everywhere.**

**Hawkmoth: I never thought I would see the day where I'd be thankful for the internet.**

**Volpina: It's a blessing as much as it is a curse.**

**Hawkmoth: That it is. It's a good thing it's on our side right now.**

**Volpina: If it turns on us, I will have something prepared. Ladybug will rue the day she decided to cross me.**

**Hawkmoth: Chat Noir as well.**

**Volpina: We will make both of them pay.**

**Hawkmoth: I'm counting on it.**

**Hawkmoth: They could ruin lives if they wished.**

**Volpina: Well, we'll just have to ruin theirs first.**

**Hawkmoth: That's exactly what I hope to achieve.**

**Volpina: Trust me, it will happen.**

**Hawkmoth: That's what I like to hear, Volpina.**

**Volpina: And you will be sure to talk to your friend about getting you in the limelight again?**

**Hawkmoth: Yes. He has been cooperative so far. I'm sure that he will be happy to help us.**

**Volpina: Good. I would hate for our plans to fall through because of someone being uncooperative.**

**Hawkmoth: It won't happen, you can trust me on that.**

**Volpina: Good. This could ruin me after all.**

**Hawkmoth: If you do your job correctly and I do mine, then that won't happen.**

**Volpina: Of course, Hawkmoth.**

**Volpina: Talk to your friend. I'll need my deadline sooner rather than later.**

**Hawkmoth: Get me the rough draft by Monday. I would like to look over it before I'm expected to go on live T.V. with it.**

**Volpina: Alright, I can do that. Is there anything else besides the lack of boundaries, the lack of proof to her claims, and her being discriminatory that you would like me to add?**

**Volpina: Plus your defense, of course.**

**Hawkmoth: No. I think that will be enough for right now.**

**Volpina: Okay, and are you sure that you have covered your tracks as far as our friend is concerned?**

**Hawkmoth: I didn't spend money to get professionals for nothing. By the time they find the culprits, they'll be across the world.**

**Volpina: Just double-checking. I can tell you are new to this whole criminal deal.**

Gabriel glared at the phone. He was not a criminal.

**Hawkmoth: I am not a criminal.**

**Volpina: Well, you're an accomplice. You better make sure he won't talk or else your life will take a turn.**

Gabriel scoffed. Like he'd be foolish enough to let his guest see his face.

**Hawkmoth: I'm always in disguise when I speak with him. There's no way he knows it's me.**

**Volpina: Good.**

**Volpina: I will get to work on your next article ASAP.**

**Hawkmoth: I expect nothing less than perfection from you.**

**Volpina: Have I ever delivered anything but?**

Gabriel let the question go unanswered for now. He turned to grab the gray ski mask that he was quickly becoming familiar with.

It wasn't a long walk to his destination.

The abandoned warehouse had been empty for quite some time. It used to be used as a home for a homeless man, if the cot Hawkmoth had found was any indication. Now, it was used for something much more sinister.

"Did you miss me?" He asked as he walked through the door.

"You won't get away with this!" The man who was handcuffed to the cot cried.

"Oh, but I will. Everyone knows the downfall of your wife's health. Add that to the fact that you are aging, nobody would believe you if you told them the truth." The pale man glared his dark purple eyes at Hawkmoth.

"Tikki and Plagg would." Hawkmoth raised his eyebrows.

"Tikki and Plagg?" Realizing his mistake, the man's eyes widened before looking away.

"I'm not telling you anything." Hawkmoth held his hands up.

"Fine, but I need you to do something for me."

"What?" The man growled.

"Get me on T.V. again. You have helped me these past two times and you will continue to help me, understand?" Hawkmoth asked.

"And why would I?" Hawkmoth didn't know if he was impressed or pissed that even after being kidnapped, the kwami still had an attitude with him.

"Well, I would hate for anything to happen to your wife." He said smoothly.

"You wouldn't."

"Don't test me. I am a desperate man, finally getting his overdue revenge. There's not much that I wouldn't do."

"But, doing anything to my wife would require you to get your hands dirty."

"Not necessarily. I hired people to fetch you for me, I can hire people if you refuse to comply."

"So, you have the resources to hire those types of people?" The kwami questioned.

"Just get me on the news, is that understood? I really don't like doing dirty things, even if they're necessary. Please don't make them necessary." Hawkmoth said, sympathetically.

"I hate you." The man glared.

"Ah, but I'm getting my way, aren't I?"

"Not for long."

"We'll see about that. Just do as you're told. The sooner that you comply, the less tempted I will be to do something a bit more... extreme."

"Can I at least get dinner?" The man asked quietly.

"Of course. I am not cruel to not supply what's necessary for you to help me." Hawkmoth said, taking out his phone and opening up his delivery app. "What would you like?"

"Chinese."

"Specifics?" Hawkmoth said.

"Chow mien with sweet and sour pork, please." Hawkmoth placed the order.

"Alright, it's on its way. As soon as you can secure an interview, you can eat. Fair?" The prisoner nodded.

"Fair." 

They both knew that it was far from fair, but the kwami wasn't about to argue with his kidnapper.

"Good, I expect results pronto. I don't want you to go hungry, after all. You'd be much more incapable of getting me what I want."

"Why are you doing this?" The man asked. It was a question that hadn't stopped coming up. He just couldn't take the hint. Hawkmoth glared at the man in response.

"Because, Nooroo, there is debt that has gone unpaid for far too long. I intend to settle it." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *runs*  
> Also, even though this has no mature romance, language, or violence in it, does anyone think I should bump up the rating because of the nature of the book?


	19. Chapter 19

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> More emailing and a spark of an idea!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Have fun with this chapter y'all! I'd love to hear what your opinions are on Ladybug's rant!

**To: luckyladybug@miraculous.com**

**From: chatnoir.official@miraculous.com**

**RE: Blog**

**Hey Ladybug! I just saw your blog is up and running, kudos on getting it out so fast! I haven't finished it yet because I've been busy all morning and I didn't realize you had uploaded it until then. I'll be sure to give it a read though! I'm really proud of you for putting yourself out there and being vulnerable with the general public. I know it's not easy, especially when you aren't used to it, yet you did it anyway. That's a level of bravery I wish I could accomplish.**

**I managed to snag the studio again for this Wednesday. Same bat time, same bat channel! I can give you some more pointers on running a successful website and if Hawkmoth gets another video out, then we can suggest a plan of attack. Plus, maybe I could show you some recipes this time around!**

**I know that's not exactly Hawkmoth oriented, but we had discussed using it as a stress relief. It's always important to have a bit of relaxation with your work. I already have a few in mind that we can go over, if you'd like?**

**Other than that, I really don't have any plans for next week. I'm super excited to continue hanging out with you though, buginette.** **Plus, I'd love to geek out over your books with you. I absolutely love them!**

**Charity is such a fun character and her and Alex's Enemies to Lovers arc was so well done. The pining sent me through so many emotions and that miscommunication you put in was just evil! I may never forgive you for putting my heart through such a wreck!**

**Also the suspense was just so brilliant! I so wish I could write like you. You manage to draw in audiences of all ages and your fame is incredibly deserved and I will defend that until the day I die. I would love to somehow draw people in like that. Something that will just give my recipes the extra push, I guess. Right now they're rather boring and straight forward. Maybe you can give me some tips?**

**So congrats, you've managed to make me a 100% Ladybug fanboy with just** **_Capsize._ ** **I'm so excited to see what your brilliant mind comes up with next!**

**Also, I was talking to Plagg and he said that apparently one of his and Tikki’s friends have gone missing? Have you heard anything about it? His name is Nooroo and apparently he dealt with finding new T.V. personalities and helping them out. He’s been missing for like a week and a half now, and no hospitals have gotten him admitted.**

**Plagg asked me if I could alert you about it so that way if you hear anything about him, you can let Tikki know. Apparently the three of them were in the same training course and became rather close. I hope that he’ll turn up soon, though.**

**I hope to hear from you soon!**

**-Chat Noir**

Marinette blushed hard as she read Chat Noir’s email. His praise was so incredibly sweet. It was a bit funny in a way, she was no stranger to praise and while she was appreciative of every supportive review, there was something different about his kindness. Maybe it was because she actually knew him?

Yeah, that had to be it.

She had opened up her computer to see what new responses she had on her blog and was pleasantly surprised to see a new email. He really was great with communicating with her and she hoped that even after this whole ordeal with Hawkmoth was over, they would still remain great friends.

However, her good mood disappeared as she read the final paragraph. One of Tikki’s friends was missing? And for a week and a half? Why hadn’t she mentioned anything to Marinette? Maybe the memories were too painful?

Granted, they both had been rather busy and hadn’t talked as much as usual, but still! Maybe she can bring it up whenever Tikki contacts her next. Marinette figured that it would be soon, seeing as she released an entire blog. Tikki’s opinion was important to her, and she would feel a lot better about the whole thing if she had her support. 

Whoever this Nooroo was, Marinette hoped that he would be found soon.

Something else had caught Marinette’s eye too.

_“I would love to somehow draw people in like that. Something that will just give my recipes the extra push, I guess. Right now they’re rather boring and straight forward. Maybe you can give me some tips?”_

Chat Noir wanted her help?

She knew that both of them had to rely on each other, but it still took her aback. Even after five years of being praised for her writing, it still made her feel a bit like a schoolgirl when she received true and genuine love for her works. 

Maybe during their next meeting, while he shows her how to cook, she would give him advice on how to draw in readers! It would be a ton of fun, coaching him on writing and the different skills that come with it. Although, she had never really worked with recipes before….

Oh well, she was always up for trying new things and broadening her horizons. Even more so when it came to writing. Sure, writing non-fiction may not have been her first choice, but who knows? Maybe it will come in handy one day! Plus, getting to help out her new friend was a definite pro in this situation.

She would have to start doing a bit more research about writing recipes and how to draw people in. Perhaps telling people about the cultural significance of the food would work? Or maybe telling a bit of backstory on what the food meant to him? Or maybe a story about the food? Something that would want to make people cook it and eat it. Something that would make it eye-catching. Something a bit less practical and more tuned towards Chat Noir’s personality. 

As she typed out her email, the gears in her mind started rolling, already coming up with ideas to help him.

**To: chatnoir.offical@miraculous.com**

**From: luckyladybug@miraculous.com**

**RE: Blog**

**Hey Chat Noir!**

**Thank you for the high praise. It means a lot to me coming from you. I swear, my cheeks are still heated from the blush.**

**You’re really brave too, you know that right?**

**I mean, all I really did was write a few stories. You, on the other hand, went against your father’s wishes to pursue your dream. That’s very admirable and it takes a great deal of courage. Plus, you were even braver by letting people in your personal life. That’s something I know that a ton of people wouldn’t do, even if it was necessary. And through it all you’ve managed to keep smiling and laughing and I know you’ve cheered me up and all of your true fans are rooting for you right now as well.**

**Next Wednesday will work perfectly for me (notice the distinct lack of cat pun).** **I’ll be sure to start thinking up with some ideas to help you out with recipes. Honestly, I can’t wait for you to teach me all about your recipes. I’m sure there’s a unique story behind each one.**

**Not to mention, every food I’ve ever had from your website was hands down delicious. I wonder how much better it would taste with** **_the_ ** **Chat Noir helping me out with it. After all, with you watching me, it would be a bit hard to make a mistake. At least I would hope that a famous chef cares enough about his recipes that he’ll help people perfect them.**

**I haven’t really checked my blog yet, I’m a bit scared too if I’m being honest. I really hope most feedback will be positive, but you never know. Cancel culture is a huge, unfortunate, part of our society. The minute that some messes up, the minute someone is** **_human_ ** **no one is allowed to support them anymore?**

**That’s just not fair!**

**Just because someone is in the spotlight, we shouldn’t expect them to be perfection incarnate! And the things people get canceled over are sometimes so incredibly dumb, it blows my mind. Sometimes, they can’t even be qualified as a mistake, it’s just a bunch of people getting offended over nothing.**

**And even when someone really does mess up, then instead of “cancelling” them, we should spread the knowledge and tell people why they shouldn’t support them anymore. By grouping in people who have done some terrible things with the people who made a small mistake and apologize or didn’t make a mistake at all, we make it seem like those are all on the same level and they aren’t.**

**It just really frustrates me sometimes and I wish I could do something about it.**

**People grow over time. We can’t look at one mistake from when they’re sixteen and then claim that that’s the person they are today. It’s not a healthy mindset for anyone to be in. People change and develop. They learn from their mistakes, but cancel culture doesn’t seem to understand that.**

**That sometimes people do mess up! We’re all human and we all make mistakes! And more often than not, we learn from those mistakes and we become a better person because of it. But, cancel culture ruins that mindset.**

**It’s so fixed. That one person can never change and one bad comment is their entire personality. That’s just not the truth.**

**It’s a toxic behavior that needs to stop.**

**Those people who made an innocent mistake did not deserve to have their career ruined, especially after they educated themselves and apologized.**

**And those people who are terrible should not be “cancelled”, we should spread the word on why what they’re doing is wrong, and help them grow too. And if they refuse to grow out of their hate, then we spread the word on why people shouldn’t support them anymore.**

**Not “cancel” them.**

**Everyone messes up from time to time and some are born into households where they are raised to think that hate is okay. Cancel culture not only makes everyone seem one dimensional, but it also discourages the natural growth of our personalities.**

**That’s why it needs to stop.**

**I doubt it will though, we can’t change how people act, unfortunately. We can only educate them on why what they’re doing is wrong. And we shouldn’t attack them either, because that will only make them defensive and want to fight fire with fire.**

**Which is another problem with cancel culture!**

**Because most people just attack whoever is “cancelled” in a hurtful way, making them defensive and indignant and actually pushing them farther away from educating themselves.**

**If we could just calm down and peacefully listen to one another and explain our difference in views and explain why what they’re doing is wrong, the world would be a lot better place.**

**Sorry, that was an incredibly long rant. I didn’t mean to go on a tangent, but it just makes me so mad when I see people getting treated terribly just because they aren’t some god.**

**News flash! We’re human too! I know, shocker.**

**Anyway, I haven’t heard anything about Nooroo. Tikki hasn’t even mentioned him to me. I hope that he’ll turn up okay, though. I’ll be sure to let you know if I hear anything.**

**How are you doing?**

**I noticed that you haven’t uploaded yet this week and I know that’s something pretty dumb to be worrying about but with Hawkmoth breathing down our necks, I just want to make sure you’re okay.**

**The corner that he had backed you into was pretty severe, after all. I wonder if there’s a way for you to prove that you’re innocent?**

**Maybe there’s a document or something that you can show? One that doesn’t have your name attached to it? Or what about the contract miraculous had you sign? If you show the date and the contract itself on camera, but not your name, it should be enough to prove that you’re innocent!**

**I’m not sure if you still have that though, but if you have something along those lines, it’ll definitely help you out.**

**I hope to hear from you soon!**

**-Ladybug**

She sent the email off before she could lose her nerve. She meant what she had said about cancel culture, and she was sure that Chat Noir wouldn’t judge her for it and if he did then he wasn’t the person she thought he was.

He seemed like the type to support growth and education instead of just attacking someone, though. At least, she hoped he was.

Exiting out of her email, Ladybug turned back to what she was supposed to be doing. She took a deep breath to try and fight the butterflies swarming around in her stomach. It didn’t work all that well, though.

Closing one eye she pressed on the bookmark that would take her to her blog.

The home page greeted her. The website was a rather minimalist style, the banner was red and black with a white heading above it reading “Lucky Ladybug”. Below that different red tabs would lead people to different parts of the websites. If they want to return home, they would just have to press the banner.

Ladybug bit her lip and pressed on the “All About Me Tab”. A red header telling the reader what tab they were on appeared, as well as the black text with ladybug’s bordering it. She was a bit proud of it, if she did say so herself. 

Anxiously, Ladybug scrolled down past her All About Me page to where comments would be. She knew that she probably should’ve posted her rebuttal to Hawkmoth in the “Life of Ladybug” tab, but that could wait for later. Now, she needed to see what people thought about what she said.

**Buglady: OMG!!! LADYBUG ACTUALLY STARTED A BLOG!!!! THIS IS THE BEST DAY OF MY LIFE!!!!!**

**TooCoolForSchool: You know, reading what she said, I feel a bit foolish for listening to Hawkmoth**

**OffcialCha1rtyWhite: Lila got what she deserved! I’ve seen a few of her articles and in one she claimed to help Ladybug write Capsize! She’s lucky LB didn’t sue for copyright reasons.**

**DankestMemer: Do we have any proof that these claims are true tho? It would’ve only taken a picture of her to prove that she was Asian yet there isn’t any she could’ve even worn a mask! Seems a bit sus to me**

Marinette frowned at that one, but she supposed it wasn’t exactly hateful. Just something that she would have to do in the future. ****

**MarryMeLB: OHMYGOSH THIS IS SO COOL! HKHDJHSBJHUHWI**

A sense of relief filled Ladybug as she continued to read the comments. Most of the responses had been positive, like she had hoped. With any luck, things would continue like this and even if Hawkmoth popped up again, more people would be on her side this time around.

Feeling confident, Marinette logged off of her computer and got ready for bed. Tomorrow was a work day after all, and she needed to be well rested.

Thanks to Chat Noir and the kind comments on her blog, Marinette fell asleep with a smile on her face. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *subtly adds in what will become a major plot point*


	20. Chapter 20

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yet another Tuesday, yet another news segment. Yet another week where Hawkmoth is that much closer to exposing all celebrities. For good.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some plot??? From this book???? Wild.

He had only been here twice before, but he was already getting used to the interview room. This would be the room where he succeeded his ultimate goal. This would be the room where he would spend his time spreading the truth.

Nooroo had worked fast, that’s for sure. It helped that Hawkmoth had high ratings so far. If his next few showings went well, he would be able to get the slot permanently. Every Tuesday, Hawkmoth would be able to turn up to the studio and present his facts. Every Tuesday, Hawkmoth would turn the tide back over to his side.

Hawkmoth grinned as the “On Air” sign turned on.

He cleared his throat and gathered the loose script that Volpina had written for him.

“Good evening people of Paris, I have once again come to you with proof that the beloved Ladybug and Chat Noir are not who they seem.” He looked into the camera and trained his face to look sympathetic.

“I am here tonight to discuss Ladybug’s blog and the problems with it.” He started to say.

“Now, I know this must be hard for some of you to hear, and I don’t blame you! If you were to have told me that Ladybug was a terrible person a few months ago I would’ve called you crazy. However, things are different now. Certain aspects of the author have come to light and I just cannot choose to support her anymore.”

“And even though I am not one to demand who people must like and dislike, I can educate others about the problematic characteristics that these two celebrities share. Of course, tonight’s focus will be one Ladybug.” He cleared his throat.

After all, there was no better way than just diving right on in.

“On Saturday, Ladybug released a blog. This blog will not only talk a bit more about her life, upcoming projects, and advice, but it’s also to give updates on the situation we’ve found ourselves in.” He started to explain.

“Of course, my problem isn’t with the blog at all. In fact, I’m happy that she’s opening up a bit and not hiding as much behind her mask! But, I do have a problem with a few of the things that she said in the blog. They had caught my eye and, in my opinion, seemed quite hypocritical.” Hawkmoth said.

“Again, my lovely journalist Volpina has been able to do some research and I would like to present those findings to you tonight, people of Paris.”

Hawkmoth smirked. “Calling out fans” the card said. Yes, that would do quite nicely for a lead in.

“Ladybug’s exact words in her blog was ‘Someone had asked about her articles in an interview and after reading a few of them I decided that I didn't want to have my fans look up to someone who would blatantly lie about me and her’ and then later ‘I don't like people using my name for clout and I would've reacted the same if it was anyone lying about me. Mlle. Rossi was only the first instance of this…’ However, that’s just not the case.”

He looked through his notes until he found the one he wanted.

“I’m sure that all of you die hard Ladybug fans will remember this story.” He cleared his throat and started reading from his notes.

“Commenter Official Charity White on this popular forum site says ‘Oh yeah! Ladybug is like such a close friend to mine, I even helped her with _Capsize!_ ’ Ladybug claims that she would’ve treated any fan using her name for clout the same way she treated Mlle. Rossi, but here this commenter gets off Scot free!” He lifted his head to look at one of the cameras.

“That just seems a bit odd to me. And, before you accuse me of expecting Ladybug to catch everyone who’s ever lied about her, this commenter gained some traction from these lies. It quickly crossed social media and when Ladybug was asked about it, she waved it off. She said, and I quote, ‘No, the claims Official Charity White made were false. If you’re listening to this, I’m glad you’re such a big fan, but please don’t lie about me.’ That’s quite a huge contrast from how she treated Mlle. Rossi.” He shrugged.

“Ladybug said that she would treat every fan the same way, but that was a lie. So, I have to ask the question: what else is she lying about?” He changed his notes quickly.

Volpina was a great writer, he had to give her that. Her script still managed to give him some freedom, but it also allowed his words to flow together. She gave him all the pieces necessary and he completed the puzzle. 

It was very handy.

Perhaps, when he tackled other celebrities Volpina would work with him then as well. He had no doubt in his mind that with their combined efforts they could succeed with his goal. He would be able to be rid of celebrities and once he was a hero, he could gift Volpina with whatever she wished. He would be rich by then, made famous for all the right reasons.

Not for lying and stabbing people in the back and becoming corrupt, but by bringing the truth to light. He would be in the spotlight for once! He would get all that he deserved! Emilie would finally be avenged!

But that all started with the take down of Ladybug and Chat Noir. Once he built up his reputation and had allies, it would only be a matter of time until all celebrities were gone for good. Then Hawkmoth could be living like a King! He would have taken everything from those celebrities and kept it all to himself.

Oh, revenge was sweet indeed.

His mouth twitched into a sinister grin before he controlled it. That would do him no good here, he needed to convince the public that he was on their side. A sinister grin would not be good for his heroic image.

“Could she also be lying about her origin and her sexuality?” He posed the question gently.

It was almost as if he was a parent, consoling a child after finding out the truth about Santa Claus.

“I don’t want to doubt her! But if she lied about Mlle. Rossi to save face, maybe she could’ve lied about this as well. There have been examples of past celebrities, claiming they were a part of one group when they weren’t, to gain fans. This could be another example of that here. I’m not saying that this is 100% accurate, but people of Paris, I ask you to open your minds to the possibility.” He let out a sigh, as if he were exhausted.

“It would only take a simple picture to prove me wrong. A simple photo of her showing some Asian characteristics or a date with a girl. It wouldn’t be much to prove me wrong. That’s why I’m asking Ladybug to do exactly that. Please, prove me wrong Ladybug. On the behalf of your fans, prove me wrong. Take off that mask and let us see who you truly are. All of my claims would drop then.” That, of course, was a lie.

“We would be able to really enjoy your writing, with the real you in our minds. Don’t you want that? Don’t you want all of this to stop? On the contrary to what you may believe, I don’t enjoy doing this.” Yet another lie, being in this studio always sent a wave of adrenaline through him. “I don’t enjoy poking holes through your claims. I don’t like planting seeds of doubt in your fans minds, but I’m afraid you’ve given me no choice.” He turned his gaze to be even more sympathetic.

“You continue to lie and dig yourself deeper into this hole. Please, Ladybug, put down the shovel. It’s not worth it. It’s not worth destroying your reputation just to keep up the illusion. All the hard work you’ve put in, destroyed because you didn’t know when to stop. Please, Ladybug, it’s time you stop.” He let the ghost of a smile grace his face, imagining Ladybug realizing what a fool she had been.

“I’m not asking for much. I just want a photo. A single photo will do! We can fact check everything and my claims will stop. The truth will have been brought to light and Hawkmoth will be no more. Don’t you want that?” His expression turned a bit darker.

“Or maybe you like putting your fans through this. Maybe you enjoy this extra attention. Maybe you’re thankful I’m putting seeds of doubt in your fans mind because at least they’re thinking about you. At least they’ve got you on their minds as they go about from day to day. It may not have been the most positive thoughts, but they won’t stop thinking about you. And maybe you like that! Who knows?”

Hawkmoth smirked. It was time for the third and final plot point. 

“I certainly don’t. After all, you never bothered to define what your boundaries were. Again the exact words were ‘[a]s long as you respect me, my characters, and the opinions of others I think that you're in the clear.’ And I would agree. After all, respect is something everyone deserves. But, you’ve never defined boundaries yourself. You’ve never told us what is too far. What are your devoted fans supposed to do? Are they supposed to read your mind? In my opinion, that seems quite unfair.” He shook his head.

“Add that to the fact that we know nothing about you, well I’m sure some of your fans mean no harm. After all, they just want to get to know their favorite author. And maybe that’s what you wanted to happen. You’ve made your email public by choice because, up until now, you refused to have any other social media. Maybe you secretly like the attention. You’ve never said otherwise up until now.” He gave the camera a solemn look.

“I am sorry that fans are invading your privacy, however. But think about this Ladybug. You’re fans were only crossing your non-existent boundaries because they wanted to get to know you!” He let a bit of desperation seep into his voice. Only enough so Ladybug could really feel what she had put her fans through.

“And I’m not talking about the creeps who want inappropriate things from you. That sort of thing is never okay. I’m talking about the fans who sent you innocent emails asking questions about your day to day life. The fans who asked for what you looked like so they could keep an eye out for you. Those fans only did that so they could get to know you. You give them your name? Well, I would argue that they knew you pretty well at that point. All of that attention would stop.” He let his sorrowful mask slip down and fall, replacing it was a look of triumph.

“However, you’re a very smart person Ladybug. I’ve seen it in your writing. The conclusions you come to are ingenious. So, I’m sure that you’ve already realized that an identity reveal would stop some of these people who crossed your boundaries. And that the people who were incredibly inappropriate could be stopped by bodyguards.” He put his hand down on the desk and looked directly into the camera, his eyes blazing.

“So what’s your real reason for keeping your identity a secret? I don’t think it’s privacy. Plenty of celebrities have privacy because they’ve wished for it. Or they’ve come up with a way to avoid it! I’m sure with your mind, you could come up with tons of solutions and quick!” His words started to come out a bit faster, like they always did when he was passionate about something.

“No, I think the reason that you don’t want an identity reveal is because you don’t want to hurt your image. Ladybug is this mysterious author. Someone who is kind, but unknown. Sweet and generous, but can slip through your fingers. And you love that image.” He narrowed his eyes. “You love the attention that image causes. You love the speculations, the questions. You love being the mysterious one everybody either wants to be or be with.”

He let a smile come over his face. The puzzle was truly coming together.

“If you were to show everyone who you were, that would shatter. There would be no more mystery, no more intrigue. No more Ladybug.” He smirked. “Just who exactly are you underneath your mask that you felt the need to hide this much?” He let the question dangle in it’s air, the heaviness filling the room and the room of the viewers.

“And one last thing before I wrap it up. Those merchandise sales that I found were released from account ‘Quoi879’ and had decided to add it into my video last minute. After all, every bit of proof helps, does it not?” He smirked.

“So no, I didn’t do anything terrible to get those stats. I simply decided to be resourceful and use what was presented in front of me. You can’t blame me for that, can you? So don’t worry, people of Paris, I truly do have your best intentions at heart.” He turned his smirk into a smile.

“I just want all the lies to stop. It seems like it would be a good thing for everyone. Ladybug wouldn’t have to deal with so many people invading her boundaries, her fans would get to know about her. Chat Noir would be able to be free of the burden of lying to his father and get some closure. Assuming that story was true, that is. Fans of his would be able to see his true face and his true name. No more lying, deceit, lies. Don’t you want that? I certainly do.” He let the words fill the studio, coaxing people to come over to his side.

“So that’s why I’m doing this. I want the masks to drop. I want the lies to stop. Wouldn’t that be nice? To no longer have to hide to family and friends? To be able to share your experiences with them? At the end of the day, everyone deserves happiness. Even Ladybug and Chat Noir, who have been constantly lying to try and hide their true selves.” He shook his head.

“I honestly don’t think it’s worth it. And I know that if you wrote a genuine and sincere apology, your fans would forgive you. Come and join us on the side of the light.” Hawkmoth let his face grow into a reassuring smile as he stretched out his hand.

“Come out of the shadows you hide in, and come and join us in the light of truth.” He remained in that position for a few seconds, until the ‘On Air’ sign turned off.

Well, another successful program has come and gone. Now all he had to do was sit back and wait for the aftermath.

He didn’t care how long it took, one day he would unmask Ladybug and Chat Noir. Even if it was the last thing he ever did. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, another chapter from Good Ol' Gabe's perspective, because why not?


	21. Chapter 21

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ladybug and Chat Noir have their second meeting to discuss Hawkmoth, but Ladybug would rather focus on something important, like Shepherd's Pie!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> More LadyNoir fluff! This time featuring Chat Noir the Worryer and Ladybug the let's-make-a-bet-with-a-professional-chef. This will go well.

Chat Noir took out his cookbook and reviewed what recipes he wanted to teach Ladybug, trying to keep down the nerves in his stomach.

He hadn't been able to watch Hawkmoth's newest video until the early morning and he had decided to not email Ladybug because he figured he would just see her that evening, but now he was regretting it. What if she thought he was a bad friend? What if she really needed help, but he wasn't there? What if-?

"Hey, Chat Noir." He looked up to see Ladybug standing there.

"Ladybug, hey! How are you feeling? Are you alright?" He quickly made his way over to where she was standing.

"Yeah, I'm okay." She gave him a smile that helped to put him at ease.

"I've taken that you've seen it already?" He asked. Ladybug nodded.

"Yep, it's been quite the thorn in my side. I'm glad he didn't say much about you though." Chat hummed.

"That's probably because he didn't need to. I'm kinda sorta stuck." He shrugged, trying to not show her how panicked he was about the situation.

It was possible that he may have to give up being Chat Noir. He hadn't posted a video yet, but the amount of ugly comments was more than enough indication of how it would go.

"I was thinking about that. You could show the emails from you to Plagg, and using editing, edit your name out!" Ladybug said brightly.

"You really think that could work?" Chat asked, a grin overtaking his face. "I hadn't thought about the emails, only the contract and that would-"

"Show your name, I know. That's why I was thinking if you had kept the emails from Plagg and made sure they were in your account-."

"Then it could prove when I started to work with Miraculous, after I was eighteen years old!" He stepped forward and wrapped the girl in front of him in his arms. "Oh, thank you, Ladybug! You're a lifesaver!"

He heard her giggle shyly into his chest.

"You're welcome, kitty." He beamed as she used her nickname for him.

"Now, enough about me." He said, letting go of her. "We need to focus on what you're going to do about Hawkmoth."

"Well, as far as his accusations of me lying about being Asian go, my characteristics make it pretty obvious that I'm telling the truth, even if I'm wearing a mask." Chat nodded.

"What about the claims you're lying about being bi?"

"He went too far there." The fire in Ladybug's eyes suddenly gave Chat Noir the urge to run and hide. "But, I'm not going to do anything about it. The LGBTQ+ community has got my back on this one."

"Really?" Ladybug nodded.

"Really. They can always tell when an LGBTQ+ person in any media was written by someone of the community or by someone who's not. People in the community will add in several nods to things people actually do. They understand the culture. More often than not, a straight writer will make their LGBTQ+ person play into harmful stigmas, and sometimes it's not even intentional! That's not to say that cishet characters shouldn't write diverse characters, but they should do some thorough research before writing them."

"Like interviewing people who actually identify as whatever the character identifies?"

"Yeah! The more people the better though, because everyone is different in expressing themselves. And every single one of them is valid!"

Chat Noir chuckled at Ladybug's face. It was almost endearing to see her get so passionate about something.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to go on this huge rant." She said sheepishly.

"No, no! It's cool to see you talk about something you're so passionate about." He told her.

"Really?"

"Yeah! Your eyes light up and everything."

She gaped at him, pink on her cheeks. Maybe she was hot in her sweater?

"Uhhh... You thank, I mean! Tank me, I mean! T-thank you that's what I mean."

He smiled, trying to fight the chuckle that rose up in him. Her stuttering was pretty cute.

"It's not a problem, buginette."

"Do you really have to call me that?" She complained.

"What? I think that it's cute!" He grinned.

"Hmph." She crossed her arms, but he could tell she was trying hard not to smile.

"You know you love it."

"I do not!" She protested.

"Oh yeah? Then why are you trying not to smile, right now?" He asked her, a victorious look in his eye.

"Well, I- weren't you going to show me some of your recipes?" She asked him suddenly. Chat Noir raised an eyebrow.

"I'm going to ignore that very obvious attempt at changing the subject." Ladybug shot him an unimpressed look.

"Instead, I'm going to say 'why yes! I am going to show you a few of my recipes!' Right this way, Ladybug." He bowed as he gestured to the counter.

"How chivalrous."

"But of course! The fine lady needs to have someone there to protect her from the evil moth man at all costs." Chat grinned.

"I can protect myself, thank you."

"Just like you protected yourself against the dangerous wires last time you were here?" He teased.

"It's not my fault if your studio was too dark to see anything. Plus, I had never been here before!" 

"Touché, Ladybug, touché." He nodded and went to go and join her at the counter.

"So, what are we starting with?" She asked cheerfully.

"Are you sure you don't want to talk more about what you want to do about Hawkmoth?" Chat asked gently.

Ladybug's smile slipped off her face.

"Honestly Chat? I'm pretty worried about it and I could use something to get my mind off of him. I don't want to think about the repercussions his video is having right now. I just want to have a good time with my friend." He nodded and smiled.

"Okay then, but promise me we'll talk about it afterwards? I want to be able to help you."

"I promise."

“Alrighty then! Step this way mademoiselle and I will show you to the kitchen of your dreams!” Chat said merrily.

Ladybug giggled and he grinned. It felt good to make her laugh.

“Why thank you monsieur.” She looked down at the cookbook placed in front of them. “So…. what are we cooking?” She asked.

“Well, I’ve got several recipes that I’d love to try out with you. How much experience do you have with cooking?”

“Well, I actually grew up in a bakery.” She said bashfully.

“No way, really?” Chat Noir asked, his eyes wide with awe. “And you kept this from me? Why buginette, I’m hurt!” He placed a hand to his chest, grinning.

“I’m sure you’ll get over it.” Ladybug said, trying to look serious.

“Well, seeing as you grew up in a bakery, I’m sure you’ve had a ton of practice with dessert.” Chat flipped through the book. “So, let’s cook something with a bit more substance. Purrhaps a meal of some sort?”

“Will you have the necessary ingredients?” Ladybug asked, leaning over his shoulder.

“I should. The fridge is stocked along with the cabinets and whatever we don’t have I can get delivered.” He turned to look at her.

Their noses were inches apart. He hadn’t realized they had gotten so close. Ladybug jerked back.

“Okay, then!” She laughed nervously.

He hoped that he hadn’t made her uncomfortable.

“So what type of cuisine do you feel like making?” He switched the subject. “Italian, Japanese, Chinese, South American, Jamaican….” He started to list off.

“Do you really know how to cook dishes from all of those cultures?” She asked. 

“But of course! I wouldn’t be a top chef if I wasn’t able to cook all sorts of meals.”

“Right, well, I don’t really care what we cook. Why don’t we cook your favorite?” Ladybug suggested, a bright smile on her face.

Chat Noir blinked in surprise.

“Really?” He asked.

“Yeah! What better way to start off our lessons?”

“Well, I have lots of favorites, but I think one that’s a bit easier to learn is the traditional Irish dish called Shepherd’s Pie.” Chat Noir flipped to the page in the book.

“Why Shepherd’s Pie?” Ladybug asked beside him.

Chat Noir sighed and closed his eyes.

“S-sorry, you don’t have to-.”

“It was the first dish that my mother taught me how to make.” Chat Noir said, interrupting her.

“Oh.” Ladybug placed a hand on his arm. “Thank you for sharing this with me.” Chat Noir nodded.

“Can you grab some carrots and potatoes out of the fridge? They’ll be in the drawer between the fridge and the freezer.”

“I know what a crisper is.” Ladybug muttered. “I’m just surprised you have one this big.”

“It helps when your videos are getting millions of views.” Chat Noir shrugged.

“Definitely.”

“Can you grab us some lamb as well? We’re also going to need onions.” Chat Noir told her as he started to get out the spices that were necessary.

“Got it! So, how easy is Shepard’s Pie?” Ladybug asked as she set what was necessary on the counter.

“Very easy. The first thing we need to do is sauté the onions and cook the meat. Then we’ll add in the seasonings. After that we’ll add in the sauce, garlic, flour, and paste. Then we’ll add in the vegetables. After that we’ll work on the potatoes and then put it in a casserole dish, bake it, and eat it!”

“That seems easy enough.”

“Yep, I wanted to do something that’s a bit more basic before we move on to more advanced levels.”

“Okay then, what do we start with?” Ladybug asked, rubbing her hands together.

“The first thing you need to do is go get an apron on and wash your hands.” Chat Noir instructed.

“You couldn’t have told me to do that while I was getting ingredients?” Ladybug looked unamused.

“Yeah, but it spaced my mind.” Chat Noir ruffled through the bag at his feet. “Here, put this on.” He handed her a plain back apron.

“Thanks.” Ladybug went to go wash her hands while Chat Noir got out the pots and pans.

“Alrighty then! First thing I need you to do is add the oil to this pan and turn the heat on while I cut the onion.”

“Simple enough, but why can’t I cut the onion? I’m not a child you know.” She pouted as she added the oil.

Chat laughed.

“Because, I can cut faster than you? Plus, I highly doubt you want tears in your eyes.” Chat smirked as he started to cut the onion.

“Just because you’re right-.”

“I’ll have you cut the carrots, okay? Is that a good compromise?” He asked.

“Why yes, yes it is.” Ladybug grabbed the carrots and a peeler and got to work. 

They worked together easily, Ladybug always ready for his next set of directions. They sautéed the onions and cooked the meat laughing and chatting easily. It felt good. It felt more than good, actually. It felt natural. Like this was something they should’ve done a long time ago, even if they had only been talking for two weeks.

Sooner than Chat Noir would’ve liked, the meat was ready to go.

“Well, the next thing we need to do is start mashing the potatoes.” He grabbed a pot and placed it on the stove. 

“Okay. I’ll start peeling them.”

“Let me help.” Chat said after he had turned on the heat.

“I bet I can peel more than you!” Ladybug told him, grinning.

“Oh, you do not want to make that bet.”

“I think I do, kit-cat.”

“But I’m an advanced chef! The odds are not in your favor.” He shook his head.

“Screw the odds.” Ladybug muttered.

“Suit yourself. It’s your funeral.”

“We’ll see about that.”

“Count of three and the bet will start?” Chat Noir suggested.

“You’re on! Be prepared to taste defeat.”

“Oh, I highly doubt that buginette.”

“3….2….1… go!”

They both started to peel rapidly, wanting to one-up the other.

Chat Noir had to give Ladybug credit, she put up a fight. It was obvious she had some experience in the kitchen before. Experience that she had decided to withhold from him, probably for something like this. He was originally planning to go a bit easy on her, but after seeing her catch up to him and pass him at certain points, he gave it his whole effort.

“Haha! See? I told you so.” Ladybug said, taking the lead.

“I wouldn’t be so sure. What if I’m just saving up for the grand finale?”

“Then you better stop because at this rate, I’m going to win.”

“Oh? And just what is your prize?”

“Bragging rights.” Ladybug said. “Having the satisfaction of beating the top chef of Paris is a potato peeling competition.”

“That’s one for the résumé.”

“No offense, but I think my feats as Ladybug may be a bit more impressive.”

“Than losing to the top chef? Definitely.” Chat grinned.

“And yet, I’m in the lead.”

“Not anymore you’re not.”

“What?” Ladybug cried indignantly.

“Haha!” Chat Noir grabbed another potato and started to peel. “Try and catch me if you can.”

Ladybug grumbled as she reached for another one only to find none.

“Hey! You stole the last one from me!”

“I didn’t steal anything! I simply one upped you in the battle of potatoes.” He grinned and they were able to keep their composure for a good five seconds!

Before they burst in laughter.

“Good game, kitty.” Ladybug held out her hand.

“Very good game, you had me going for a minute there!”

“So, we just have to boil these potatoes and then mash them?” Chat Noir nodded.

“Yep! Then there’s a bit more seasonings we put in then and into the oven it’ll go!”

“How long does it need to bake?” Ladybug asked, standing up and walking over to the oven to preheat it.

“25-30 minutes at 205 C. Thanks for doing that.” He said as he started to chop the potatoes.

“No problem.”

“And while it’s baking, we’re discussing what you’re going to do about Hawkmoth, no arguing.” Ladybug sighed.

“Okay. Fine, if it’ll make you feel better.”

“It will, trust me on this buginette, and it’ll make you feel better about it, too! I know you may not want to show it, but there’s gotta be some anxiety you’re having about this. We’re partners now, LB, and I want to help you in any way that I can.” He told her, meaning every word.

“Thank you, Chat Noir.” She whispered, briefly looping her arms through his and embracing him.

“You’re welcome, Ladybug.”

They stayed like that for a few moments, resting together in comfortable silence. It was a bit strange to Chat Noir, he had known this girl for only two short weeks, but they clicked together so well.

“Hey, Chat Noir?” She asked him.

“What’s up?”

“How much convincing would it take for this to become a weekly thing?” She asked.

“You… want to keep spending time with each other?” He asked.

He hadn’t chased her away yet? She actually enjoyed his company?

“Well, yeah! Hanging out with you has been a blast! Plus, yesterday I had a million dollar idea.”

“Oh? Do tell.”

“Your last email you mentioned wanting something to spice up your recipes, right?” Chat nodded, not really knowing where she was going. “Well, I was originally thinking I could help you out with details here and there and then I realized something.”

“Oh? What is it?”

“What if we created a cookbook together? You create the recipes and I’ll create stories to go along with it!” She said.

Chat’s eyes widened.

“Really?”

“Yeah! Think about it, your first official publication and my first official non-fictional book? Who cares about Hawkmoth? It could fly off the shelves!”

Chat nodded.

“And it could give us the upper hand against Hawkmoth. Show him that we aren’t backing down no matter what he says!” He thought out loud, grinning.

“So, what do you say? You in?” She asked him, holding out her fist.

“Hell yes I’m in.” He tapped his fist with hers, sealing the deal.

Look out Hawkmoth, they weren’t going down without a fight. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally some freaking PLOT.


	22. Chapter 22

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ladybug and Chat Noir plan what recipes to use.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, I can't believe this fic is over a year old already! I started writing this back in November/December of 2019 and published it to Wattpad around March or April. Then published it here around October. *sigh* Ah memories.

"Okay, so the first thing we need to do is figure out what recipes we want to use." Chat Noir said.

"From there, I can come up with the stories to pair with it." Ladybug nodded, looking as the two of them poured over his recipes.

"I thought you said this was going to be a non-fiction book?" Chat Noir asked, his eyebrows raised.

"You hush. They might be stories on what I think about them or how you came up with them, I haven't decided yet."

"Well, I do have something to admit." Chat Noir grinned sheepishly.

"Oh? What's that?" Ladybug asked.

"The first recipe I came up with was because I read tablespoons as teaspoons." He said sheepishly. Ladybug raised an eyebrow.

"First of all, if you managed to mess up the recipe that much and still have it turn out good, then the recipe wasn't the best in the first place. Second of all, why were you using imperial units?" She questioned. 

"The recipe was written by an American." Chat Noir said, shrugging his shoulders. "It looked interesting and I wanted to try it out. I looked up what the measurements meant, but it's not my fault the abbreviations for tablespoon and teaspoon are so similar."

"You've got a point. What recipe was that? We should add it into the book." Ladybug said.

"It's the triple chocolate cake." He said, ruffling through the papers until he found the right one. "Of course, as time went on I expanded on it and added a bit of my own flair." Ladybug looked it over and nodded.

"Yeah, this seems like a good recipe. It's relatively simple, too."

"I mean, I did come up with it when I didn't have a ton of skills, so it couldn't be that complex."

"It sounds delicious."

"Well, everything we put in the book I'll be sure to teach you to make!"

"I would expect nothing less from you."

"Alright, why don't you choose a recipe, now? It's your book too." Chat Noir gestured to the papers around them.

Ladybug inspected most of them, humming.

"Let's put the Shepherd's Pie recipe in there too."

"Will do, buginette!" Chat Noir cheerfully took the Shepherd's Pie recipe and placed it with the chocolate cake one. "But, why that recipe?"

"It's the first thing you ever taught me how to make." Ladybug smiled at him. "I think it's important to have in the book, don't you think?"

"Definitely." Chat nodded. "Alright, what shall our next recipe be?" He asked, rubbing his hands together. 

"You can choose this one."

"Well, we've already got a dessert and a meal, so maybe an appetizer?" Chat Noir suggested.

"Ooo, how about your camembert bread?" Ladybug asked.

"Camembert? Don't tell me you actually like the cheese." He wrinkled his nose and Ladybug giggled.

"What? You mean to tell me you don't love the smell? Your agent hasn't ruined it for you?"

"I told you about that?" Chat Noir asked. She nodded.

"Yep! Plus, Tikki has complained about his obsession before. That's why I think you should have it in there, a bit of appreciation for everything he does." Chat Noir nodded.

"Okay, I guess you have a point." He picked up the paper and placed it on the pile.

"And I think this 'Sunset Smoothie' would be the perfect addition to the book. It's totally something Tikki would make."

"Does she have a sweet tooth?" Chat asked and Ladybug nodded.

"Huge."

"It's a good thing you grew up in a bakery then, I'm sure you two get along great."

"Yeah, she's awesome."

"And apparently she knows Plagg?" Chat Noir asked.

"Yeah, she told me they were in the same class to become kwamis together and got assigned to us around the same time."

"Huh, Plagg never told me that." Chat muttered.

"Tikki only brought it up recently, I just thought it was kinda cool how our kwamis knew each other before this whole thing started."

"You know," Chat smirked. "Maybe this means that we're destined to be partners."

"Yeah, maybe." Ladybug said quietly, her face flushed. 

"So, let's see." Chat Noir hummed as he thumbed through more of his recipes. "I think we should add in this one as well." He showed Ladybug a recipe for a chicken and chili casserole.

"Okay!" She examined the recipe. "This looks really delicious."

"It is. It's always been one of my favorites."

"Do you like spicy food?" Ladybug asked, tilting her head to the side.

"I just like food, you know? I'm not super good with a ton of spice because it's rare I have spicy food, but I can handle a good amount."

"I'm used to spicy food by now. My best friend's mom makes a ton of spice with chili and because of my Chinese roots, we'll often have spicy food."

"Then I'm sure you can handle this no problem." Chat Noir winked.

"Most likely. Now, for another dessert." She hummed as she looked through the desserts. "The cake is quite rich so we should get a recipe to balance it." She thought out loud. "Maybe this one." She said, choosing a recipe for fruit danishes.

"Hmm, that looks good."

"And it's simple enough. I mean, less experienced bakers can just go out and buy the pastry."

"Although, store bought pastry doesn't compare to the real thing. In my opinion, it's so much more satisfying when you make it all from scratch because you can look at it and say 'wow look at that, I made that.'" Chat Noir said.

"I agree. I still remember the feeling of pride when I baked my first batch of croissants without my papa's help."

"So your parents taught you how to bake?" Chat Noir asked. Ladybug felt a small ping of guilt run through her. Chat Noir's family life was obviously not the greatest, and here she was blabbing about hers. "It's okay. I don't mind." He reassured her, sensing her hesitation.

"Oh, um, yeah. My parents taught me everything I know about baking. What about you?" She asked. Chat Noir's back stiffed for a quick second before he relaxed it.

"Self-taught for the most part." He said smoothly.

Ladybug wasn't sure if he was lying or not, but she knew she had no space to pry.

"That's impressive." She smiled.

"You really think so?" He asked, a hopeful expression on his face.

"Yeah! I mean just look at how far you've come! You've gone from looking up basic recipes online to making your own to becoming one of the top Parisian chefs." She gestured around them. "This came from self-teaching. It just proves that you're talented."

"Heh. Thanks, Ladybug." He said bashfully. 

"It's not a problem. Now, you get to choose the next recipe!" She said cheerfully.

"Well, I just have to go with the classic escargot." He said, placing the recipe down.

"But of course! It wouldn't be much of a French cookbook if it didn't have the classic and refined dish of escargot." She teased.

"I'll have you know that escargot is absolutely delicious." Chat told her.

"I know it is. It's an absolute delicacy, but I had this friend in America who couldn't believe her ears when she heard that snails were considered a delicacy over here."

"Why is that so surprising?" Chat asked. "I mean, she's American so she should be used to all sorts of 'weird food' I mean, so much is deep fried in America."

"You can't imagine my horror when she said that her all time favorite dish was deep fried ice cream with Oreos and chocolate and donuts and pretty much every single dessert you can imagine. She called it a Frankenstein." Ladybug shook her head, remembering Aeon's enthusiasm at the dessert.

"Ooo! Sounds very interesting."

"That's one way to put it." Ladybug grumbled.

"So, how'd you meet an American?" Chat Noir asked.

"My college did a foreign exchange student program that I participated in. She and her step-sister were the two girls I roomed with."

"Oh cool! I've only ever been to America on trips with my father and there wasn't much time for tourists"

"What was your father doing in America?" Ladybug asked, shuffling through the papers to look for their next recipe.

"Trying to land a deal for his small business." He shrugged. "Apparently, his hate for celebrities doesn't transfer over to famous restaurant owners for whatever reason."

Ladybug looked up at Chat Noir. Now, that was very peculiar.

"So, do you think he won't be as hostile towards Chat Noir then? I mean, I know you don't own a restaurant or anything, but you're still a chef!" She said hopefully.

Chat Noir, however, only chuckled and it wasn't a happy one.

"No, he has a special hatred for Chat Noir. I guess it's because I got my start vlogging instead of working at an actual restaurant? Who knows." He scoffed. "It's a bit ironic, isn't it?"

"Oh kitty, I'm so sorry." Ladybug placed a hand on his arm. He shrugged.

"I'm not going to say it's okay, because it's not, but there's really nothing I can do."

"Still, it's not fair! You shouldn't have to suffer for pursuing your passions."

"I'm afraid that the world isn't fair, buginette, but this is worth it."

Ladybug didn't know what to say to that, so she merely smiled at him.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to get so emotional." Chat Noir said, scratching the back of his neck.

"No, no! It's okay. I think that it takes a lot of strength to go out and pursue your dreams even when the world tells you not to." Ladybug said.

"Well I mean, that's what you did. You've been around for five years, as long as me, and you're 21 now, right?"

Ladybug nodded.

"So that means you got your first deal at 16 and then got very popular shortly after. That takes talent. I'm sure you've had your fair share of people criticize you."

"Yeah, but it's not like my family situation is like yours. I just didn't want the attention."

"And that's purrfectly fine." Chat Noir winked. Ladybug's grin slipped off her face.

"Really?"

"Yes, really." He grinned.

For some reason, it seemed that her heart sped up a little bit. Maybe it was adrenaline? Yeah, that was probably it.

"Alright, it's my turn to choose a recipe." She said, glaring playfully at him.

"Have at it."

"Let's see here, this one sounds cool!" Ladybug picked up a drink recipe. "What's 'Blue Horizons?'" She asked, reading out the title.

"Ah, that's the first alcoholic drink recipe I ever created. It's very sweet, with just a tiny bit of vodka for an extra kick."

"I'll say." Ladybug looked over the recipe, eyebrows raised.

"You think we can put that in the cookbook?" Chat Noir asked.

"I don't see why not. We're both over legal drinking age and we can just put it in a separate section than the other drinks."

"Alrighty then! So far we've got a dessert section, an appetizer section, an entree section, a non alcoholic drink section and an alcoholic drink section."

"Sounds like a pretty decent start for a cookbook."

"I'll say. Do you really think this will work?"

"It's bound too. This is the first official publication of your recipes, and my first non-fiction publication." Ladybug reassured him.

"Yeah, you're right."

"It's your turn to choose a recipe." Ladybug told him.

"Hmm, what to choose, what to choose?" Chat Noir tapped his finger to his chin. "What recipe will have the absolute honor of being in our cookbook? What recipe will fall into despair of being left out?"

Ladybug stifled her giggles with her hand.

Was he this dorky all the time?

How odd, that in only two short weeks she had gone from disliking him to being his friend. Life certainly had a funny way of working sometimes, didn't it?

"Let's see. The magical recipe that I choose is, drum roll please," He asked Ladybug. She shook her head and rolled her eyes, but drummed on the counter nevertheless. "This one!" Chat Noir chose a paper, seemingly at random and presented it to her. "For you, buginette."

"Why thank you, _chaton_." Ladybug looked over the recipe. "So, a homemade pizza recipe?" She asked.

"Yep! Pizza is absolutely delicious, but it's so much better homemade."

"You've got a point." Ladybug muttered. "Okay, go ahead and add it!"

"Sweet!" Chat Noir put the paper down on the stack that was growing larger and larger. 

And so the night went on, choosing one recipe after another. Ladybug found herself not wanting to leave this place. This studio kitchen that she was bound to get used too. She wasn't sure if it was accidental or on purpose, but the two of them stayed in the studio a lot longer than planned.

Maybe it came with the ease of being friends. Maybe it was because they had more to do this week than last. Maybe it was because they enjoyed each other's company, Ladybug certainly enjoyed Chat Noir's. She hoped it was a mixture of the three.

"Well, I think we have enough for a recipe book." Chat Noir said, placing the final recipe down on the counter.

"Yeah. This is going to be great!"

"I hope so. I really want this to do well."

"And I'm sure it will, just look at all the fans who still stand up for us!" Ladybug tried to cheer him up, but consoling people had never been a strong point.

"Yeah, you're right. I'm just being paranoid."

"Although, I wonder what Hawkmoth is going to say about it." Ladybug mused.

"Probably something along the lines of 'they're doing actual work? What a crime against humanity!'" Ladybug laughed at Chat's poor imitation of Hawkmoth.

"And in that case we'll tell him, 'screw you, old man! We're Ladybug and Chat Noir, we aren't going down so easily.'"

"Ladybug and Chat Noir versus Hawkmoth. A battle of wits and bravery, who will succeed?" Ladybug said in her best announcer voice.

"Well, I'm hoping that we'll be the victors of this fearsome battle." Chat Noir half-joked.

"And we will be. People are bound to realize sooner or later that all of this is really dumb. I mean, Hawkmoth is such a hypocrite. Attacking us for hiding behind masks and then wearing one himself?" Ladybug shook her head.

"I know, right? Where's his identity reveal?"

"It's just dumb. This whole thing is dumb. Yes, I acted a bit harsh to Mlle. Rossi, but I apologized for that and have learned not to drag personal biases into this."

"And I still have no clue about what I did to make Hawkmoth attack me."

"Nothing, absolutely nothing." Ladybug let out a loud yawn.

"Tired?" Chat asked and she nodded.

"Very, and I've got work tomorrow."

"Alright, you should get going then."

Ladybug didn't want to, but she nodded.

"Okay, I'll email you later." She waved and turned to go leave.

"Bye, buginette."

She was slowly but surely getting used to the nickname.

"Bye, kitty." She waved.

"Hey, wait! We never talked about what you should do to combat Hawkmoth's video!" Chat realized as she opened the door.

She turned back to him and winked.

"All part of my plan. See you around, Chat Noir."

With that, she hurriedly walked to her car before he could catch up and lecture her, chuckling to herself the entire way. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, more LadyNoir because I love these two.


End file.
